MUSIC
Blues on the Mall returns to Downtown GR
Local Spins announced earlier this week that WLAV 996.9 FM will be bringing the popular Blues not he Mall series back to downtown Grand Rapids. The series, which will be on June 17, July 15, and Aug. 12, will feature two national headliners and a local opening act at Rosa Parks Circle. For more, visit the Local Spins website by clicking here.
ART
Ground breaking exhibit at UICA
This past weekend, the Urban Institute for Contemporary Art opened a new Black-History month related exhibit “A Beautiful Struggle: Black Feminist Futurism.”
The exhibit, supported by a $40,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant, is an interdisciplinary contemporary art exhibition that explores the integration of Black feminist and Afrofuturist ideas.
According the UICA website, Afrofuturisum is a creative and cultural genre that examines perspectives of the African diaspora based in a communal reimagining of theist — as well as envisioned futures — while considering themes of identity, escapism, magical realism, and technology. Black feminism focuses on the perspective of those who are both Black and female.
According to UICA, the relevancy of exploring visual representations of Afrofuturism from a Black feminist perspective rests in the understanding of the necessity to lay aside the historically exclusive nature of both Black nationalism and feminism; instead, promoting the intersectionality of Black womanhood.
The exhibit will be up through June 14. UICA is located at 2 W Fulton St. , downtown Grand Raids. For more information, visit the UICA website.
THEATRE
Two Roald Dahl stories come to Grand Rapids
This weekend, the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre will open “Matilda, the Musical,” the tale of an extraordinary girl who uses her intellect and fantastical ability to change the course of her own destiny. The show, which is recommended for ages 8 and up due to some mature material and mild language, runs Feb. 28 to March 22. For more, visit the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s website.
Join Charlie Bucket, Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, and Violet Beauregarde as they get the chance of a lifetime to visit the famous chocolatier Willy Wonka and tour his chocolate factory in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” March 10- 15. Presented by Broadway Grand Rapids, perhaps the most famous Dahl story will be featured on the DeVos Performance Hall and includes many of the movie’s favorite tunes such as “The Candy Man” and “Pure imagination.” For more information, visit the Broadway Grand Rapids website.
