Scenes form “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition”, coming to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum this fall. (SEE Attractions) 
Scenes form “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition”, coming to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum this fall. (SEE Attractions) 
Scenes form “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition”, coming to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum this fall. (SEE Attractions) 
Scenes form “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition”, coming to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum this fall. (SEE Attractions) 
Scenes form “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition”, coming to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum this fall. (SEE Attractions) 
Scenes form “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition”, coming to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum this fall. (SEE Attractions)
By K.D. Norris
Anybody who has stood inside the Sistine Chapel in Rome and witnessed the power and the glory of Michelangelo’s masterpiece, you know the feeling of heavenly art if not an actual connection with God.
For those of us who haven’t, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum will bring to Grand Rapids the feeling of being in the chapel when it hosts “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition” this fall. (The museum is currently open but with limited capacity.)
The immersive visual experience that is “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel”, presented by Los Angeles-based SEE Attractions, “recreates one of the world’s greatest artistic achievements through photographic reproduction displayed in its original size,” according to an exhibition announcement.
The exhibition opens on Oct. 22 and runs through Feb. 20, 2022.
“Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition” will be the museum’s feature exhibit in 2021, and Brooke Clement, acting director of the Ford Museum, said in supplied material that the support from the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation was pivotal in the exhibit’s scheduling.
“This is an epic exhibit, and we are proud to partner with our friends at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum to bring Michelangelo’s iconic images to West Michigan,” Gleaves Whitney, executive director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, said in supplied material. “There is something in these timeless paintings to delight and teach every visitor — from students who are learning about how art tells our most important stories to seasoned travelers who have toured the Sistine Chapel in person and seek to deepen their knowledge.”
Local ties by exhibit producer
The path for a Los Angeles-born entertainment exhibit, by a German-born producer, to make its way to Grand Rapids, is really a story of local ties.
“I first came to Grand Rapids as an exchange student from Germany in 1975 and graduated from Forest Hills Northern High School,” Martin Biallas, CEO of SEE Attractions, said in supplied material. “That experience inspired me to stay in the US and start my entertainment business, so it’s a special honor for me to be able to bring one of my productions to Grand Rapids.”
“Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition”, in addition images of timeless masterpieces including the “Creation of Adam” and “The Last Judgment”, includes the ceiling paintings from the Sistine Chapel, all of which have been reproduced in a truly unique way using licensed high-definition photos.
“Brought to life using a special printing technique that emulates the look and feel of the original paintings, visitors are given a chance to engage with the artwork in ways that were never before possible: seeing every detail, every brushstroke, and every color of the artist’s 34 frescoes,” according to supplied material.
Each image is accompanied by informative signage, and audio guides are available to rent for an even more in-depth experience.
For more information about “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition”, visit chapelsistine.com/
The Ford Museum is currently open on Wednesday-Friday, 2-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m,. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, non to 5 p.m. Tickets are limited to a 50-person capacity and available for purchase online at buy.acmeticketing.com/events/277/list.
For more information on the Ford Museum, visit fordlibrarymuseum.gov.
