I met Tom Stewart in June when I spoke at his art gallery, Art Alley, in Lansing, Michigan. Tom is one of those young co-creators that are critical to the success of cities. Art Alley, which opened in 2010, is a burgeoning creative space in the REO district of the city. Tom is also part of a group of angel investors that is investing private money back into creative entrepreneurs. And what impressed me as well was the fact that Tom was also getting involved politically by running for Lansing city council.
I am very pleased to note that Tom was successful in his primary election bid and has become one of the youngest ever candidates for city councilman in Lansing. He is on the ballot for the November at large election. Many of the the co-creators I write about eschew the traditional power channels because they don’t have the patience to work within the confines of those structures. But it will take adventurous co-creators like Tom to take on those traditional institutions and change them from within. Way to go Tom!
