Tag Archives: Chris LaPorte

Artwork celebrating Grand Haven Music Fountain to be unveiled

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By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

Grand Haven Musical Fountain has daily shows at dusk throughout the summer.

On Thursday June 23, the Grand Haven Musical Fountain Committee with the Friends of the Musical Fountain, Inc. will host the unveiling of a commemorative work honoring the 60-year history of Musical Fountain operations

The work was created by Chris LaPorte, a Grand Rapids based artist and 2010 winner of ArtPrize. As part of the Musical Fountain’s 60th anniversary fundraising efforts, prints and posters in varying sizes and formats will be on sale after the unveiling event (www.ghfountain.org/art).

“The Grand Haven Musical Fountain has been a summer spectacle destination for generations now. So many people have shared their family memories of enjoying the nightly show since I began the drawing, LaPorte said. “The Fountain itself is awesome. And, what the Fountain does and continues to do for the community is also amazing. Capturing the mutual experience of the community over decades is part of what I’m trying to capture with this drawing.”

A copy of the original work along with other artifacts from the Musical Fountain’s 60-year history will be on display in the Tri-Cities Museum window at 200 Washington Ave. in Grand Haven through August.  Because of limited space, parties interested in attending the unveiling should contact the Musical Fountain Committee at info@ghfountain.org.

The Grand Haven Musical Fountain is beloved landmark of the City of Grand Haven that presents a creatively synchronized combination of lights and water with popular musical selections. Free nightly shows occur at dusk from Memorial Day to Labor Day with weekend shows in May and September (www.ghfountain.org/showtimes). Fountain operations and maintenance are a joint effort of the City of Grand Haven and an all-volunteer Musical Fountain Committee.

The Friends of the Musical Fountain, Inc. is a newly formed non-profit organization [501 (c)(3)] committed to creating sustainable funding for the maintenance and future enhancements to the Fountain (www.ghfountain.org/friends).

A free 60th Anniversary celebration is being held on Aug. 27 at the Lynne Sherwood Stadium and will include the debut of another water feature enhancement to the Fountain (www.ghfountain.org/60years)!

LTAC announces April 21 workshop for artists with disabilities

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Michigan artists with disabilities will have the opportunity to attend a free Saturday workshop focused on art promotion and marketing and special needs planning.

 

LTAC Arts, the nonprofit arm of the Legacy Trust Award Collection, will host its first workshop in advance of its May show at the Grand Rapids Art Museum. The three morning sessions will focus on topics such as valuing and marketing art, benefits protection and special needs planning.

 

Sponsored by Trivalent Group, the workshop will be held on Saturday, April 21 at 401 Hall St. SW, Suite 134. Artists may submit completed artwork and registration forms prior to the start of the sessions. The planning sessions are open to all Michigan artists with disabilities, as well as any interested family, caregivers or other members in the community.

 

Now in its ninth year, LTAC is a statewide competition open to artists with disabilities that seeks paintings, sculptures, photographs, drawings, collages, mixed media and other works of art. Four wining artists will be entered in ArtPrize 2018.

 

Chris LaPorte, 2010 ArtPrize winner, and Erin Nemastil, ADAC Automotive communications manager, will lead “Valuing and Marketing Your Art.”

 

The Arc of Kent County’s Maggie Kolk will lead “Protecting Your Benefits While Selling Your Art.” The Arc of Kent County ensures that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are valued and able to contribute to their community.

 

Mark Periard, director of wealth management at Grand Rapids-based investment and wealth-management firm Legacy Trust, will lead a session on “Special Needs Planning” session.

 

Art drop off will be between 8-9 a.m. and sessions will begin at 9:15 a.m. A light breakfast will be provided. RSVP to LTACarts@gmail.com or call 616-649-2818 by April 19. Spouses and caregivers are welcome to attend.

 

More information on LTAC is available at www.LTACArts.org. Join the conversation on Facebook facebook.com/LegacyTrustAwardCollection and Twitter with #LTAC.

ArtPrize winning artist creates poster for Festival of the Arts

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Artist Chris LaPorte at the unveiling of the 2018 Festival of the Arts poster.

Festival of the Arts co-chairs Melissa Bush and Jessi Nix Gould are excited to announce well-known artist Chris LaPorte as the 2018 Festival of the Arts poster artist.  In its 49th year in 2018, Festival is one of the longest running festivals in the state of Michigan and will be held June 1, 2 and 3 in downtown Grand Rapids.

 

“This year’s theme for Festival is celebrating the community through art, and Chris has really captured this in his work,” said Melissa Bush, 2018 Festival of the Arts Co-Chair. “Chris has been involved in the Regional Arts Exhibition for years, participates in Art on the Spot drawing caricatures and hosted an art class in his studio to help fundraise for Festival of the Arts.  He was an obvious choice for a poster artist.”

 

Chris LaPorte loves to draw and says drawing is always cool, no matter what your age or background. He has pursued drawing as a vocation his entire adult life, and has earned art degrees from Aquinas College, La Coste Ecole de Beaux Arts and the New York Academy of Art. He has taught drawing at GVSU, GRCC, Kendall College of Art and Design, and Aquinas College as well as educational institutions in New York and Michigan. He is also a past winner of ArtPrize, with his work “Calvary, American Officers, 1921” winning first-place in 2010.

 

Bush said she and her co-chair Jessi Nix Gould were looking for someone who represents the West Michigan community who had also been involved in Festival over the years.

 

“We are honored that Chris has created the artwork for this year’s poster,” said Jessi Nix Gould, 2018 Festival of the Arts Co-Chair. “His work perfectly embodies the event’s theme by representing the beautiful Grand Rapids city skyline, the movement of dancers in front of La Grande Vitesse and fun, playful colors indicating the spirit of festival.”

 

La Grande Vitesse was formally dedicated on June 14, 1969 and has since become the civic symbol that represents the City of Grand Rapids. The installation of the Calder inspired the first Festival of the Arts – a three-day community arts celebration to be held annually each year in June.  It began in 1970 and was originally sponsored by the Arts Council of Greater Grand Rapids.

 

Festival started with two stages, some artwork and a few food booths.  Today, Festival of the Arts covers much of downtown Grand Rapids with three performance stages, dozens of food booths, and endless art and activities for all ages.  In its 49th year, Festival of the Arts is one of the longest running festivals in the State of Michigan.