Krasl Art Center (KAC) will continue hosting four local artists each Saturday in August at the Summer Art Markets on the Green. Markets are Saturdays, Aug. 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“Our annual Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff was just too large to safely hold this year but we still wanted to provide artists and our community members a chance to support each other,” said Dee Hodgson, KAC Art Fair Manager. “This summer we are thrilled to introduce our KAC faculty, ceramic guild, and Shop artists to the public – their work is incredible and it’s always a great experience to visit with the creator of your next favorite artwork.”
Aug. 1 Artists include: Nicole Rimes, Jewelry & Fibers Jeff & Theresa Heaton, Fibers Bill Boyce, Sculpture Eliot Schlaack, Drawing & Printmaking
Visit krasl.org for more information on future artists at the market.
KAC Galleries and The Shop will be open from 9 AM – 5PM on Saturdays and 11 AM – 5 PM Fridays, Sundays, and Mondays throughout the summer. Dex R. Jones: Storied Portraits is on view in the main gallery and sculptor Barbara Cooper is featured in the artlab.
The Markets will adhere to KAC’s COVID-19 safety policies. Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the grounds and masks are required. Some artists accept credit cards, all accept cash. For more information visit krasl.org.
The Summer Art Markets on the Green events are underwritten by an Anonymous Patron who loves the Art Fair and The Livery Microbrewery.
Take a walk through each festively decorated room of the W.K. Kellogg Manor House, and complete your holiday shopping with treasures from local vendors.
On Friday, November 23 (Black Friday) and the five following Saturdays (Nov. 24, and Dec. 1, 8, 15, and 22), visit the Holiday Walk & Market for tours and shopping from 12–5pm. Docents will share the history of W.K.’s philanthropy and life at his former summer estate. End your tour with hot spiced tea and cookies, and time to browse items from local artists. Admission is $5 (free for members, students, and children under 5 years old).
General shopping hours and self-guided tours are also available Monday–Friday, from 9am to 3pm at no charge; donations to the Manor House are appreciated.
On Wednesday, Nov. 28, from 6:30–8:30pm, attend the Meet the Artist event to meet the local artists and vendors selling gifts throughout the home. Complimentary samples of MSU Wine and Cheese will be offered with options to purchase both, and a cash bar will be available. There is no charge for the Meet the Artist event.
Dec. 1 is Family Fun Day at the Manor House! From 12–5pm (during the Holiday Walk and Market), we welcome families to the Manor House for free crafts and winter fun! Bring out your snow shoes and other winter gear to enjoy the trails and lakeside views.
The W.K. Kellogg Manor House is located at 3700 E. Gull Lake Dr., in Hickory Corners. To learn more, visit conference.kbs.msu.edu, call 269-671-2400 or email conference@kbs.msu.edu.
The W.K. Kellogg Manor House is part of the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station. As MSU’s largest off-campus educational complex, land-grant values have been put into practice for nearly a hundred years with groundbreaking scientific research and education, community engagement, and historic preservation. Looking forward, students, staff and faculty are working to understand and solve real-world environmental problems for a better tomorrow.
KBS is more than any individual lab or location. There’s a story behind all that you see; look closer and you’ll find more amazing discoveries than ever before. To learn more about KBS, visit kbs.msu.edu.
Join the artists of the Tanglefoot studios on the near West side as they celebrate the cultural legacy they’ve built throughout the years: a testament to the power of beauty, the necessity of art, and the importance of gathering community around you. This year marks the 27th annual open studio sale in the historic warehouse, making it the longest-running open studio event in the greater Grand Rapids area.
In a yellow brick warehouse on the near West Side, a former flytape factory has been taken over by some of the city’s most well-known working artists. Nearly 30 years ago, as spaces in the building began to be rented as studio space for artists, early artists like Elaine Dalcher, Michael Pfleghaar, and Nikki Wall decided to welcome the public into their working creative “homes” for an intimate, celebratory chance for friends and family to purchase artwork, right before the holiday gift-giving seasons began. That was just the start of what was to become one of the Grand Rapids art scene’s most important events of the year.
This fall, on Friday, Nov. 16 and Sunday, Nov. 18, artists will open their studios once again for the 27th Annual Tanglefoot Artists Open Studio event. Full of chances to meet accomplished local artists, sip a glass of cheer, and find just the right piece of art for yourself or a loved one, the yearly event is known for its hospitality and its variety of price points, allowing for all to support their local artists in meaningful ways.
The longest-running open studio event in the greater Grand Rapids area began in 1990, with artists Elaine Dalcher and Michael Pfleghaar opening their studios and inviting fellow artist Nikki Wall, who would soon be a resident artist at the Tanglefoot building herself, to join them. The event was so popular it became a yearly tradition.
Tanglefoot building (Credit: Tiffany Szakal)
“We Xeroxed the hand-drawn announcement, folded it in half and sent it out to our friends, families, colleagues and clients,” said Dalcher.
Nearly 300 people showed up that first year, and as word spread the event grew to welcome thousands upon thousands of art lovers over the years.
This year, the event promises to include some new surprises for regular attendees, as resident artists are welcoming in select guest artists to participate in the annual open studio event.
“It’s the truth: every year is special. Why? Because we consciously try to add new things to the show,” said Jason Villareal, long-time resident and participant in the fall event. This year, resident artists are inviting guest artists to join them in their space.
“We’ve had guest artists in the past but not this many. It’s a lot of new additional work to enjoy!” said Villareal
Visiting artists like Deborah Rockman, Holly Bechiri, and Sung Yi will help eight of the year-round residents fill room after spacious room within the rambling old warehouse with beauty.
Over the years, the annual celebration of artists and community has built a legacy for itself as a leading example of how to support local artists, creating an intimate and welcoming opportunity to build community. With artwork for sale, starting as little as $3, from some of the most well-established artists in the area, attendees may want to bring their pocketbook for a chance to support their local creatives while taking home quality work for themselves or for upcoming holiday gift needs.
Available for purchase will be paintings, prints, large-scale sculptures, greeting cards, and photo-based art. Just as important as the chance to purchase art, though, these artists recognize the importance of finding chances to reconnect with their community as the holidays approach.
“Winter’s settling in, and people are ready to be festive,” said Dalcher. “If people are interested in the community of artmaking and the process of artmaking in our community, then this is a place to come and see working studios, and get a chance to talk to the artists.”
”We also have a reputation for good snacks,” she said.
The event is open and free to the public Friday evening and Sunday afternoon.
Tanglefoot Artists Open Studio Event 2018
Show Dates and Times: Friday, Nov. 16,5-9pm Sunday, Nov. 18, Noon-5pm
Location: 314 Straight Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504
“Every good painter paints what he is,” Jackson Pollock said.
“Treat a work of art like a prince. Let it speak to you first,” said Arthur Schopenhauer.
And Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Art is the path of the creator to his work.”
Everybody has something to say about art. The good news is, you don’t have to be famous to have an opinion—and WKTV VOICES will have its mobile recording studio down at ArtPrize 10 all three weekends to invite and encourage artists and voters to share their own thoughts about art: Artists, what inspires you to create a work of art?
Voters, what compelled you to vote for a particular work of art?
Sofia Hernandez Ramirez
With hundreds of artists and hundreds of thousands of attendees expected at ArtPrize this year, we expect there will be a lot to say—and for us to collect and record.
Last year, VOICES debuted at ArtPrize Nine, introducing our 1958 Airstream trailer and collecting the stories of winning ArtPrize artists Daniel Oropreza and Sofia Hernandez Ramirez.
This year, VOICES will again collect stories from artists. Look for our Airstream on the corner of Lyon and Monroe NW. Look for the Voters Feedback Booth right next to the trailer where voters are encouraged to share what they voted on and why.
A free public service of WKTV, VOICES travels throughout the West Michigan region to encourage neighbors, friends and family to tell their stories—the narratives that make us human—of our lives, experiences, sorrows, triumphs and tragedies. We all benefit from knowing each other’s background; the shared bond that helps us build community.
VOICES’s comfortable, mobile video recording studio offers a relaxed atmosphere, and utilizes high-tech video and audio equipment to capture the narratives for posterity. Interviews usually take place between two people who know and care about each other. These can be friends, family, or mere acquaintances. Any topic may be explored, whether a specific event in a person’s life, a childhood memory, a family tragedy—no subject is off limits.
Oral history—the collection and study of individual histories, experiences of disasters, important events or everyday life—is a tradition as old as civilization itself. Using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews, oral history strives to obtain information from different perspectives, most of which cannot be found in written sources. Some academics consider oral history akin to journalism as both are committed to uncovering truths and compiling narratives about people, places, and events.
VOICES participants find the experience valuable and gratifying. Read and listen to people’s stories online on our Facebook page here and visit our website here for more information and important links.
All VOICES conversations are audio- and video-recorded to provide participants with a link to each conversation and for possible airing on Channel 25 in Wyoming, Kentwood and Gaines Township (U-Verse Channel 99).
The second Saturday of each month, VOICES parks its Airstream trailer at Marge’s Donut Den at 1751 28th St SW, Wyoming, MI for ‘Second Saturdays at Marge’s’. And, beginning Oct. 17, VOICES will be parked at Kentwood Public Library, 4950 Breton Rd. SE, the third Wednesday of each month.
“Art is never finished, only abandoned.”
~ Leonardo da Vinci
More than 2,100 artists have registered for ArtPrize Eight.
With artist registration officially closed, ArtPrize has announced a huge increase in both artists and venues for the upcoming event set for Sept. 21 – Oct. 9.
About 2,124 artists or artist teams have registered about 2,008 entries in hopes of competing for a combination of public vote and juried awards totaling $500,000 this fall. That is about 475 more than last year’s number of artists, which totaled around 1,649.
Also the number of venues have increased by 20 over last year coming in at 182 venues for the 2016 event. Last year, there was a 162 venues that participated. The 182 number includes 38 new spaces within the three-square-mile jurisdiction of downtown Grand Rapids. Venue registration closed April 7.
The numbers for 2016 do not reflect the final tally as registered artists and venues have until June 23 to connect.
We took a quick look at those that have been matched noting there are several from the Kentwood and Wyoming areas such as dancer Morgan Fraiser of Wyoming, who will be presenting a time-based piece at the newly reopened Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, 303 Pearl St. NW; and James Schneider, of Kentwood, who will have his piece “Systems of Reception” at DeVos Place Convention Center, 33 Monroe Ave. NW.
To a view a continuously updated list of connected entries, visit artprize.org/entries.
ArtPrize is one of the largest art competitions in the world. More than $500,000 are awarded out with the largest prizes being for the grand prize winner in the public vote, which receives $200,000 and the juried grand prize winner which receives $200,000. Cash awards are also given in the categories of two-dimensional, three-dimensional, installation and time-based. For more information about ArtPrize, visit www.artprize.org.
This spring, Art.Downtown. will captivate Grand Rapids on Saturday, April 9, 2016 from 12-9 pm. Grand Rapids’ ultimate local art experience will feature several hundred artists in dozens of galleries, businesses, and studio spaces around downtown GR. Expanding from the Avenue for the Arts corridor in the Heartside Neighborhood to Kendall College of Art and Design and Devos Place in central downtown, this one-night event features several hundred artists in dozens of galleries, businesses, and studio spaces around downtown Grand Rapids.
Here’s some of what to expect, rain or shine: artists and musicians exhibiting and performing at a variety of unexpected locations from U-haul trailers, the art museum, parking lots and private studios. Come early and stay late, for a night on the town with family and friends.
Grand Rapids Trolley will provide free transportation to all the major areas of Art.Downtown. Volunteers and maps will be on-site to help guide you to various sites, restaurants, and parking locations. Meet and speak with artists, curators, and shop owners about everything from artistic methods to collective movements. Join the excitement and see what our downtown arts community has to offer!
Stay updated on Art.Downtown. information by attending planning meetings at 307 S. Division Ave, and by visiting our website. Follow @AveForTheArtsGR on Twitter, and join the event conversation by using #ArtDowntown. Connect with Avenue on Facebook for detailed updates about Art.Downtown. and special event postings.
