MARQUETTE — For the second straight year, Northern Michigan University’s DeVos Art Museum has received a grant from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. The 2020 award of about $14,200 will allow the museum to expand programming, promote exhibitions and bring guest speakers and curators to campus.

“We are thrilled,” said Emily Lanctot, director and curator. “We wouldn’t be able to do the things we do for the community without help from the MCACA. We are so thankful to have this kind of support, especially in this rural area. People come from the east and west sides of the U.P. to see the museum, so it’s important to provide them with art experiences.”

The grant will also be used to help provide free bussing so that about 1,000 K-12 students across Marquette County can visit the museum and have hands-on art tours.

“This is amazing and it is usually the first time that students visit or have been on campus,” Lanctot said. “I’ve had students tell me that they came to NMU because they saw the opportunity to be an artist here after they went on these tours as kids.”

The MCACA distributes grants to arts and culture organizations throughout the state and accepts applications for a variety of different programs. These grants are intended to encourage, develop and facilitate an enriched environment of artistic, creative and cultural activity in Michigan. The MCACA awarded a total of $157,688 across Marquette County, including the DeVos Art Museum grant.

As a result of last year’s funding, the museum was able to invite Orna Ben-Ami, an Israeli artist, to campus to speak and showcase her “Entire Life in a Package” exhibit, which runs through Nov. 10. According to the DeVos website, the exhibit “is the story of millions of refugees with millions of packages, suitcases… sacks. ‘Life packages’ that hold the will to survive.”