Art in West Michigan - WKTV Journal

By Jeremy Witt, West Michigan Tourist Association

Walking through a beautiful art gallery or scenic art festival is bound to bring out your creative side. Here in West Michigan, an art excursion is always nearby with many museums, galleries, art centers, and annual festivals.

Museums & Galleries

These locales are all about the arts, with each offering something different.

Muskegon County is home to one of the most highly respected art museums in the Midwest, the Muskegon Museum of Art. Throughout the marbled halls of the museum is a full schedule of permanent collection displays, traveling exhibits, and a lovely museum gift shop.

The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts is a museum and art school filled with opportunities to experience, enjoy, learn about, and make art. The KIA offers tours, classes, exhibits, and hands-on experiences for the whole family.

The Art Gallery of Algoma is a public gallery dedicated to cultivating and advancing the awareness of visual arts in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The AGA’s commitment to excellence is reflected in all aspects of its programming. Approximately 24 exhibitions are mounted each year featuring local, national, and international artists. The AGA also boasts an ever-growing permanent collection of 5,000 works of art and an arts-related resource center.

Pierce Cedar Creek Institute in Hastings currently has Patrick Thomas’ Ephemeral Moments art exhibit on display through February 2019. Patrick Thomas is best described as a representational, landscape, pastel artist. His paintings are executed in soft pastel over watercolor washes on sanded paper. He is a self-taught artist with firm foundations from studies at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.

Performing Arts & Events

The area is home to many art events, including performing arts. To see even more events in West Michigan, visit our Event Calendar.

Exquisite storytelling through the time-honored art of dance, with the Russian National Ballet’s performance of Sleeping Beauty on Friday, Jan. 18, at the Mendel Center in Benton Harbor. With a company boasting more than 50 dancers of singular instruction and vast experience, the Russian National Ballet will deliver a performance demonstrating the best in ballet artistry during this stop on their coast-to-coast U.S. tour. Before you fall under the enchanted spell of Sleeping Beauty, gather for a kid-friendly pre-show dinner complete with charming surprises.

Grand Haven’s C2C Gallery is a venue for the Wine About Winter event on Friday, Jan. 18. Stone Peng will be their featured artist, with wine tasting on location during this fun event. The art continues with First Friday Art Hop on Friday, Feb. 1, where Peng will host a special artist talk

Arts Alive in Coldwater Country is a new initiative hosting gallery exhibitions and organizing art-related community events. In January, Coldwater’s Tibbits Opera House will host Beautiful Chaos, with more Arts Alive events scheduled throughout the year.

Artsy Areas

Some cities or regions in West Michigan draw artists and their works to that area.

Inside Southwestern Michigan’s Creative Connections map, you’ll find 16 creative destinations in Berrien County. To entice you to connect with each one, you’re challenged to a game of Creative Pursuit. The more Creative Connections galleries, museums, and theaters you visit, the more fun you’ll have and the more prizes you can earn. The Creative Connections program runs through April 30, 2019.

Throughout downtown Holland, life-size bronze sculptures dot the landscape. South Shore Village is also the backdrop for a community mural project. These murals depict important scenes from historic Holland, like the early boat-building industry, Holland’s designation as the hometown of four Medal of Honor winners, and the inspiration for L. Frank Baum, who wrote The Wizard of Oz.

Courtesy Holland Convention and Visitors Bureau

Art is brought to life in the Mecosta County area. Their local art center has a large gallery for local and visiting art and cultural exhibits, connected to a gift shop features art and gifts by Michigan artists. This entity is a staple in the Big Rapids community as they offer classes throughout the year such as Beginning Photography and an Open Pottery Studio as well as a place for groups such as Intimate Theater and Novel Tea Book Club to host their activities.

Pick up a brochure and enjoy a year-round self-guided outdoor sculpture tour in historic downtown Hastings. Before, during, or after your tour, take time to shop in Hastings many unique shops and enjoy dining and refreshments at one of the many downtown restaurants and eateries.