This original exhibit honors the 50th anniversary of Gerald R. Ford’s ascent to the Oval Office, and focuses on the pivotal and often controversial decisions that shaped Ford’s administration. “Ford at 50” can be viewed at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids.
Never-seen artifacts and new insights
(Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
Opening on August 9, “Ford at 50” features a blend of immersive set pieces, unique artifacts, and historic film footage, providing an unparalleled window into the critical moments and challenges that defined President Ford’s administration.
Highlights of the exhibit include his difficult decision to grant clemency to draft dodgers, his controversial pardon of Richard Nixon, his aid for Vietnamese refugees, his decisive action following the Mayaguez Incident, and more.
“‘Ford at 50: Decisions That Defined a Presidency’ offers a comprehensive exploration of Gerald R. Ford’s leadership during one of the most turbulent times in American history,” said Brooke Clement, Director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum.
“We invite visitors to gain new insights into the complexities and nuances of Ford’s presidency through this richly detailed exhibit.”
The exhibit will showcase nearly a hundred artifacts, many which have never been seen by the public before, including items from children who came to the United States via Operation Babylift, military medals sent to the President by veterans in protest of Ford granting of partial clemency to draft dodgers, and Head of State gifts given to the President and First Lady as they traveled throughout eastern Europe prior to the Helsinki Accords.
“My goal in developing this exhibition was to create a multifaceted experience for visitors, allowing an in-depth exploration of some of the pivotal moments that shaped Gerald R. Ford’s presidency and legacy,” said Dr. Mirelle Luecke, Supervisory Curator of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum.
Audio visual elements of President Ford’s speeches pertaining to each of the major events and new, engaging set pieces at each section of the exhibit will help visitors experience these historic moments.
(Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)
Stay tuned…
In conjunction with the exhibit, the museum will host a series of special events honoring the 50th anniversary. Events will include expert panel discussions, film screenings, and invited speakers such as journalists, historians and other scholars to provide deeper context and engagement with the themes of the exhibit.
The “Chrysanthemums & More!” exhibit will feature a number of displays highlighting fall colors. (Photo by Johnny Quirin)
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park will host the annual fall horticulture exhibition, Chrysanthemums & More!, Sept. 16 – Oct. 30.
A perennial favorite and the largest of its kind in Michigan, this annual fall exhibition spans thousands of blossoms across 158 sprawling acres. Chrysanthemums & More! will surprise and delight, with a focus on abundant autumn plantings arranged in intriguing and uncommon color combinations.
Both artful and natural, the palette of vivid complementary colors and subtle tone-on-tone pairings —bringing awareness to texture and shape—is sure to pique your interest and catch your eye. As you explore the gardens and grounds, indoors and out, take time to enjoy all the rich and striking detail of this year’s exhibition theme: Unexpected Color.
Plentiful plantings in the Grand Entry Garden, Welcome Center, and Gunberg and BISSELL Corridors showcase the chrysanthemum through the artistry of many designers, among them Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park horticulture staff.
In the BISSELL Corridor, a different local floral designer each week will create a singular arrangement highlighting the chrysanthemum as its primary element. Local florists include Hyssop Floral, Horrocks Market, Overgrowth Floral, Kennedy’s Flowers & Gifts, Dahlia Acres Farms, and Eastern Floral.
Of equal note are stunning displays in the Grace Jarecki Seasonal Display Greenhouse, Earl & Donnalee Holton Victorian Garden Parlor, and Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory, each lush and lovely.
Outdoors, treat your senses with a trek into the crisp fall air. Venture onto the Stuart and Barbara Padnos Rooftop Sculpture Garden, with its seasonal wetland views, then make your way to the Lena Meijer Children’s Garden and its cornucopia of chrysanthemums, intermingled with nontraditional autumn plantings to form a quilt-like tapestry. Continue to Michigan’s Farm Garden, where the abundant autumn harvest boasts heirloom vegetables, herbs, gourds and larger-than-life pumpkins. This example of a working 1930s family farm occasionally provides some of its more than 40 varieties of produce for our James & Shirley Balk Café.
The Glow Garden will be Sept. 20 and 27 and Oct. 4. (Supplied)
This exhibition is truly a feast for the eyes, displaying the unexpected color combinations of the magnificent mum—and more!
“This year we are exploring the beauty of Unexpected Color,” said Steve LaWarre, Vice President of Horticulture. “We hope that guests will notice the rich palette and striking details of unique and unexpected combinations of color throughout our grounds, inside and out.”
Activities throughout the exhibition, including Tuesdays at the Farm, Glow Garden and Hallowee-Ones, are full of family fun.
A piece for the upcoming ArtPrize exhibit featuring the work of Mark Mennin. ((Supplied)
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park will present a selection of works by sculptor Mark Mennin as part of the annual ArtPrize competition and an extended fall exhibition at various locations in and around the new Welcome Center.
ArtPrize runs Thursday, Sept.15, through Sunday, Oct. 2. Mennen’s Embedded installation is the official ArtPrize entry at Meijer Gardens. The extended fall exhibition Mark Mennen: Written in Stone runs Sept. 2 through Nov. 27.
Embedded, the artist’s ArtPrize 2022 entry, comprises three oversized stone beds situated outdoors on the Frey Foundation Plaza leading into the Welcome Center. This trio plays with our perception of hard and soft, heavy and light. As such, these pillowy stone sculptures offer an invitation to test our strength and sense of touch. Several of Mennin’s preferred sculpted forms, like clothing or cushions, upend our expectations of stone’s standard qualities.
Along with the ArtPrize entry, other sculptures by Mennin will be on view in the exhibition Written in Stone. Within the PNC Portico outside of the Welcome Center, a marble colonnade features five recycled columns with carved Elizabethan ruff collars for capitals. The columns came from a 19th-century New York City building that was partly destroyed in the 1930s and buried in a New Jersey landfill. The “found” or repurposed stone in Mennin’s fanciful colonnade literally has history inscribed in its form, along with the record of the stone’s own physical past. Additional sculptures will be featured in the Courtyard Level of the Welcome Center. Most of Mennin’s projects, including his carved beds, enlist reclaimed stone or recycled scrap and slag from various quarries.
Mark Mennin’s “Emperor’s New Clothes” (Supplied)
“Mark Mennin’s Embedded installation perfectly embodies the spirit of ArtPrize. These sculpted stone beds are engaging and thought provoking, and invite us to connect with the physical world,” said Suzanne Ramljak, chief curator at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. “Through his sensual carved forms, he grounds us in primal geology and the histories of both built and natural stone environments. His beds also bring the private acts of pleasure and relaxation out into the public sphere.”
Meijer Gardens is an official ArtPrize venue as part of the 12th annual ArtPrize competition. ArtPrize exhibition areas are free and open to the public during regular Meijer Gardens business hours. All other areas observe regular hours and standard admission fees.
Bottle caps and flip flops are just some of the items that create this giant fish which is part of the “Washed Away” exhibit currently at the John Ball Zoo. The exhibit features collections of intricate, beautifully designed, giant sea life sculptures made entirely of marine debris collected from the beaches of Oregon. The sculptures of marine life graphically illustrate the tragedy of plastic pollution in our oceans and waterways to inspire others to be actively engaged in ocean conservation. This exhibit features 16 large and colorful sculptures throughout the Zoo and is included in the cost of daily admission.
To help build awareness, at each sculpture is a list of discarded items to find in the sculpture. “Washed Away” will be at the John Ball Zoo, 1300 W. Fulton St., through the end of the season.
When I hear Impressionism as it relates to an artistic style, I envision compositions void of heavy, straight lines and solid colors. Instead, a multitude of colors are layered on one another, applied using short, quick brush strokes. Up close the image looks like a flurry of colors, from a few paces away, the colors blend, conveying an almost self-illuminating piece.
Philip Little, “Untitled (Fishing Boats),” 1938, Oil on canvas
The Grand Rapids Art Museum currently features a new exhibit, “In a New Light: American Impressionism 1870-1940.”The Bank of America Collection, comprised of 130 pieces of art – paintings, drawings, and prints – shows the progression of the impressionist style. The pieces are grouped according to their region, where different art colonies helped to influence and shape the impressionist style.
Starting with Hudson Valley aesthetics where serene, pastoral views, aglow with golden light set the stage for idealized landscapes. Next came the artists influenced by Barbizon painters of France who painted outside – en plain air – and had a looser style in their brushwork. Here, the landscapes are less romanticized, there are views of buildings, industry and ordinary people, and the weather is not so fair. Amidst these, I found some with the style aesthetics I had in mind. Untitled (Fishing Boats) by Philip Little, is more like how I imagined the impressionist style to appear. There is an “impression” of people in the boats with barely refined features. The overall color is achieved by combining dabs of many colors to impart value – shadows, highlights – and thus, depth, up close, the painting looks like a lot of little bits – of colors and brush strokes. From afar, the piece is atmospheric. The identity of the fishermen and their location is less important than the feeling of the moment. Their dark forms sitting in little row boats, are lit slightly by the setting sun as they’re set adrift in water that immediately blends into the horizon and sky.
“Winter Stream” (detail), by Emile Gruppe, c.1935-1945, oil on linen
In another regional grouping is Winter Stream by Emile Gruppe who, still an impressionist, exhibits a slightly different style of application. Here the snow-covered banks are painted in long brush strokes. The setting is much more defined albeit conveyed in a number of colors as well, that we, the viewers, blend together to “see” shadows and highlights. There’s less of a frenetic pace of painting in this piece, instead it emits a sense of solitude, slower pace and reflection.
White is also conveyed as mix of colors in Lawton Silas Parker’s, First Born. Both mother and child are dressed in white which is comprised of blues, greens, yellows, and pinks to create the different tonal values. In contrast, and to compliment the central subjects in the piece, the background is awash in layered, jewel-toned colors. There is a return to soft lines and lighting in this piece, another compliment to the subject matter.
Included in the exhibit is a display of the various schools and artist colonies which dotted across the United States. Artists traveled to Europe where they studied abroad for a time, influenced by emerging styles and movements, then returned to the U.S. and started teaching here – starting a school or colony to teach others.
The “In a New Light: American Impressionism 1870-1940” exhibition at the Grand Rapids Art Museum runs until Aug. 27 at the Grand Rapids Art Museum, located at 101 Monroe Center NW. Check artmuseumgr.org for information on gallery hours and entry fee.
Alexander H. Wyant, Untitled (Landscape), c. 1865-1873, Oil on linenMathias J. Alten, “California Sycamore” 1929, Oil on canvas
More than 300 works by Van Gogh are featured in the “Beyond Van Gogh” exhibit. (Photos by Thomas Hegewald)
By Thomas Hegewald WKTV Contributing Writer
Vincent Van Gogh’s life story has been adapted to film in various iterations and there is widespread exposure to his masterpiece, “The Starry Night” and to his tragic life. A quick search yields that this Dutch, Post-Impressionist artist produced nearly 900 paintings within a ten year period. Yet, none of this prepares his admirers for an immersive experience of his life and artwork.
Through July 9, DeVos Place is currently hosting the immersive exhibit “Beyond Van Gogh,” featuring more than 300 of Van Gogh’s paintings. The exhibit is comprised of three rooms. In the first room, attendees weave through lit up panels with text – historical information on Van Gogh and quotes from his correspondence with his brother, Theo. Following this, attendees walk into the “Waterfall” room. Here, images and designs project onto the front-facing wall and then “pour” down onto and across the floor.
“Starry Night Over the Rhone” is just one of the many Van Gogh paintings featured. (Photo by Thomas Hegewald)
The third room contains the main gallery. Here, screens cover all four sides from floor to almost ceiling, with three additional, square columns in the center. While an instrumental soundtrack – of period or complementary pieces – plays, Van Gogh’s art flows across the screens. Digital animation and transitions enhance the illusion of the immersive quality by evoking a sense of being there as the brush strokes appear and the paintings fill and sometimes move across the screens. For one piece, a blank canvas is the initial image, then lines are drawn until a town square is fully rendered. Next, color flows into the piece filling in, between and around the lines until it is emblazoned with vibrant, complementary colors and brush strokes full of movement and vitality.
A row of portraits transitions to landscapes then to flower bouquets and back to landscapes – showcasing Van Gogh’s style evolving and developing over time. Audience members stand, sit or walk around the space – looking in awe at the projected pieces. Are we viewing Van Gogh’s artwork with empathy, knowing his plight or are the pieces wrought with emotions to begin with? While “fear” doesn’t seem to be encased in any of the pieces, there is a sense of urgency, of something … emerging.
Several of Van Gogh’s self portraits are part of the exhibit as well. (Photo by Thomas Hegewald)
A detailed sketch of landscapes and farm fields fills the screens. Then an instrumental version of the Beatles, “Here Comes the Sun” plays through the speakers as color fills in – like pasture grasses and leaves on trees becoming lively shades of green. A sense of vitality sweeps through the room along with it. The screens darken for a transition. White dashes form swirls against a dark blue background – intensifying in quantity and motion as it evolves, fills in, and becomes … “The Starry Night.”
Numerous segments from paintings occupy the screens and floor – like different colored panels. Randomly, in each one, a signature appears, as though written as we watch, until all the panels bear the same, singular name, Vincent.
The “Beyond Van Gogh” exhibit is open 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sunday – Thursday and 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the DeVos Place, Exhibit Hall A, 303 Monroe Ave. SE. Some (single) tickets are still available. Individual tickets are $23.99 – $83.99 depending on the package selected. The exhibit runs through July 9.
The formal dining attire in the “Dressing the Abbey” exhibit is complimented by pieces from the Muskegon Museum of Art. (Photo by Thomas Hegewald)
By Thomas Hegewald WKTV Contributing Writer
I was a little late in becoming a fan of the television series Downton Abbey. It was in its second or third season before I started watching it (from the beginning).
A detail look at the bearded silk of a debutante’s gown. (Photo by Thomas Hegewald)
Initially, it was the title sequence that pulled me in by capturing in carefully composed and choreographed shots the details of life in that time period and setting. I instantly knew that this was a high quality television production where everything, down to minute detail, would be accurate.
Once I started watching, the characters and storylines continued to hold my attention. An integral part of bringing those varied characters to life was the period clothes they wore. During that time period (and setting) people (especially women) changed their attire multiple times during the day to dress appropriately for an event or activity they were participating in. In Downton Abbey, the costumes themselves then played a large role in establishing each character’s personality which in turn helped to engage viewers in watching the series.
“Dressing the Abbey,” a new exhibit at Muskegon Museum of Art, features 35 costumes from the Downton Abbey™ television series, which ran for five seasons, premiering in 2010. The costumes range from high formal (and intricately beaded), casual tweeds for outdoor or hunting, to humble servants’ uniforms. Exhibits Development Group, based in Minnesota, provided the exhibit components – which included the costumes on mannequins with a few accessories like a bike, horse saddle and rack (also featured in the television series).
Muskegon Museum of Art Director of Marketing Kristina Broughton told me how the museum searched through its permanent collection for period pieces of art to compliment the exhibit. As backdrop to exhibit vignettes, there are oil paintings, prints, Tiffany glassware as well as actual furnishings from the Hackley and Hume homes – on loan from the Lakeshore Museum Center.
Butler and head housekeeper attire. (Photo by Thomas Hegewald)
Muskegon Museum of Art also went as far as to paint an accent wall violet to complement one of the Dowager Countesses’ violet themed costumes. The end result of such thought and execution is that the inclusion of period pieces enhances the sense of being there. Where mannequins stand in formal attire of a tux or beaded gown, behind them are portraits of aristocrats in oil and an ornately carved wood table and chairs – giving a sense of a formal dinner party. Complimenting a display of less formal dresses, though no less intricately designed, are a number of Tiffany lamps and glassware.
Broughton also pointed out that the costume designers always sought to use period pieces when creating the custom-made clothing – like period fabric. In one piece, it is noted that the jacket for a dress ensemble was actually made out of a period tablecloth.
Each exhibit grouping features printed information regarding the character/scene in which the costume was worn as well as additional historical information regarding a particular setting or activity. Period pieces from Muskegon Museum of Art’s collection or on loan are also identified for inquisitive visitors, like me.
As a draw for younger attendees of the exhibit, Muskegon Museum of Art created a space focused on children’s toys at the time as well as a touch and feel area. Visitors of any age can test their tactile skills by feeling the difference between types of fabrics hanging from a wall.
“The Dressing the Abbey” exhibit runs through Sept. 12 at the Muskegon Museum of Art, 296 W. Webster Ave, downtown Muskegon. Check muskegonartmuseum.org for information on gallery hours and entry fee.
Works from the Miner S. and Mary Ann Keeler Collection will be featured in an exhibit at the Grand Rapids Art Museum. (supplied)
The Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) has opened An Extraordinary Legacy: The Miner S. and Mary Ann Keeler Collection, an exhibition of 65 works of modern and contemporary art at GRAM. Running through Oct. 8, the exhibition celebrates the transformative gift of art given to the given to the Museum from the Keeler Collection between 1976 and 2021, and includes paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints.
“The Grand Rapids Art Museum is thrilled to celebrate the profound impact of Miner and Mary Ann Keeler on the Museum, and on the city of Grand Rapids, with An Extraordinary Legacy,” said GRAM Advancement Director Elly Barnette-Dawson. “From its inception, the Museum’s permanent collection has grown primarily through the generosity of individual donors. This dynamic gift from the Keelers ensures our community has access to these cherished works of art for generations to come.”
The Keelers’ artistic legacy is built upon their civic and institutional involvement, as well as their personal art collecting. Miner and Mary Ann Keeler had the vision to make art accessible to all in Grand Rapids and were pivotal supporters of downtown revitalization and many local cultural organizations. The couple was central to bringing Alexander Calder’s sculpture, La Grande Vitesse, to downtown Grand Rapids in 1969, as well as the kinetic sculpture Motu Viget, by Mark di Suvero in 1977, and Alexis Smith’s The Grand to DeVos Hall in 1983.
An Extraordinary Legacy is focused on artists who emerged as artistic leaders between 1940 and 1990, a vibrant period in American and European art. The artists represented in the exhibition include Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Diego Rivera, Alexander Calder, Robert Rauschenberg, Louise Nevelson, Mark di Suvero, Andy Warhol, Janet Fish, and Alexis Smith.
An Extraordinary Legacy is divided into three sections: Sculpture and Sculptors’ Works on Paper explores the significance of sculpture and sculptors in the Keelers’ lives and advocacy. European Modern Masters shares works that illuminate important art historical movements including Fauvism, Cubism, Surrealism, and Expressionism. American Art: From Representation to Abstraction (and Back Again) spans the years 1921 to 1995, focusing on the dynamic tension between realism and abstraction in American art.
The Stray and Godwin Heights Public Schols are partnering to present the exhibit “Identity” tonight at The Stray, 4253 S. Division Ave.
The event will be from 6 to 10 p.m. and will feature work from Godwin Heights students on the theme “Identity.”
Through a Facebook post for the event, it states that “Godwin acknowledges its individual uniqueness and celebrates each other’s differences. They explore their own identity through personal reflection and art-making and learn more about each other was they view and appreciate the effort, skill, and growth of others.”
Part of the mission of The Stray is to build community collaboratives. Hunter VanKlompenberg, the music and arts manager for The Stray, said The Stray team reached out to Godwin Heights art teacher Deanne Basse about finding ways to collaborate.
“Part of our aim is to be an accessible venue to all ages and provide space for teens to display their creative gifts,” VanKlompenberg said. “With Godwin right down the road and sharing the same neighborhood, it seemed like there was a bridge to be built between us. This is our first collaborative event together and we hope to have more down the road.
“We’re excited to showcase work culminating from the semester’s projects from a mixture of graduating seniors and younger students as well.”
From butterflies to an Irish jig, we’re ready for the weekend!
My Top 5, which you can find exclusively on WKTV Journal, also includes comedy, one of Christian music’s most successful acts and a show primarily for women.
What are you going to do?
Gonzo’s Top 5
Casting Crowns first performed at Van Andel Arena in 2005 and last graced the stage locally in 2019. The band returns on The Healer Tour on Saturday, March 19th along with special guests We Are Messengers and Jonathan Traylor. (Photo by Jim Hill)
5. Casting Crowns
As part of their “The Healer Tour,” award-winning Contemporary Christian Music act Casting Crowns makes a stop this weekend at Van Andel Arena. The show is at 7 p.m. Saturday (March 19) with special guests We Are Messengers and Jonathan Traylor. Known for multiple hit songs and albums, the group has been a staple on the charts since 2003 when its self-titled album became an instant hit and sold nearly 2 million copies. The band also has been honored with four American Music Awards, a GRAMMY Award for their 2005 album “Lifesong,” and eight additional GRAMMY Award nominations. In addition, the group has garnered 18 GMA Dove Awards. Ticket information at vanandelarena.com. Learn more about the band at castingcrowns.com.
The West Michigan Women’s Expo takes place this weekend. (Facebook)
4. West Michigan Women’s Expo
The Women’s Expo is a great opportunity to get out of the house with friends and explore a variety of exhibits, seminars and shopping, all tailored to women and their families. Attendees will enjoy interactive activities, pampering, food tastings and even a Great Lakes Writers book and author area. Also, see my friend Jackie Blankenship, who recently was named Mrs. America 2022, as she shares her story about “Confidence and a Belief of Purpose.” She speaks at 1 p.m. Saturday. Show hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at DeVos Place. Learn more at kohlerexpo.com/wm-womens-exp.
3. 38th Annual Spectrum Health Irish Jig
One of the biggest events in the running community is the Spectrum Health Irish Jig, which kicks off the summer season. Even if you have not trained much this winter, you can still get out for an easy run or walk. The race begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at East Grand Rapids High School. Learn more at spectrumhealth.org/irish-jig.
Butterflies and flowers will be on display at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park’s annual Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition. (Supplied/Meijer Gardens)
2. Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies are Blooming
One of my favorite events in Grand Rapids opened a couple weeks ago – the annual Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition at Meijer Gardens. It is the largest temporary tropical butterfly exhibition in the nation. The kids will love watching tropical butterflies from around the world fly freely in the balmy Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory. Throughout the exhibition, guests can experience special educational programming and butterfly-themed activities. It is open through April 30. It’s never too early to start planning a trip or Spring Break outing. More info at meijergardens.org/calendar/butterflies-are-blooming/.
Pop Scholars get their LaughFest on along with everyone else. (Facebook)
1.Laughfest GR
This awesome, six-day community event built on the love of laughter, continues this weekend with a jam-packed lineup throughout venues in Grand Rapids. The annual benefit for Gilda’s House Grand Rapids, the non-profit to support the free cancer and grief emotional health programs founded by Gilda Radner, features some of the top local, regional and national acts. I’ll be at tonight’s sold out trivia show at Golden Age inside Creston Brewery. But tickets remain for Tone Bell, Maria Bamford, improv shows, the All Y’all Comedy Showcase and more. Shows continue through Sunday. More details at www.laughfestgr.org.
That’s it for now.
As always, I welcome your input and recommendations for events to include in my Top 5 list. If you have something for me to consider, just send me an email at michigangonzo@gmail.com.
Have a great, safe weekend.
John D. Gonzalez is a digital journalist with 30-plus years of experience as a food, travel, craft beer and arts & entertainment reporter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also co-hosts the radio show and Podcast “Behind the Mitten,” which airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM and FM. Follow him on his journey to discover what’s next. You can find him on Twitter as @MichiganGonzo, on Instagram @MichiganGonzo and Facebook at @GRGonzo. He also relaunched his YouTube Channel. Email him story ideas and tips at michigangonzo@gmail.com.
The “Washed Ashore” exhibit comes to the John Ball Zoo this summer. (Washed Ashore)
Spring is marching in as two popular summer activities, the John Ball Zoo and the area’s oldest outdoor free concert series, announce opening dates.
This past week, John Ball Zoo announced it would officially open March 25 for its 2022 season and will feature the “Washed Ashore” collection. Turning discarded plastics found on the beach into beautiful pieces of art, “Washed Ashore” artists create large powerful sculptures that captivate all ages and teach environmental conservation and sustainability.
Tickets for the zoo are available online, www.jbzoo.org/visitandtickets, or at the zoo. Admission tickets are on sale now for opening day, March 25, through April. Spring hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit the zoo’s website at www.jbzoo.org, all 616-336-4300, or email info@jbzoo.org.
Lowell Showboat Sizzlin’ Summer Concerts
The area’s oldest outdoor concert seres, the Lowell Showboat Sizzlin’ Summer Concerts, marks its 20th anniversary this season. the Lowell concerts are offered with the Lowell Showboat as a backdrop, commemorating the history of the showboat for the City of Lowell.
To commemorate the series’ history, this year’s concerts feature many groups who originated in Michigan and are now heading nationally and internationally.
The Accidentals perform at the Lowell Showboat Sizzlin’ Summer Series June 23. (Supplied/Courtesy Aryn Madigan)
Groups scheduled to perform are Mungion, The Acidentals, Stone Street Revival, Kari Lynch Band, The Adams Family Band, and the Grand Rapids Sweet Adelines with the Great Lakes Chorus.
The series runs June 16 to Aug. 25. Thursday evening concerts begin at 7 p.m. along the Flat River, 113 Riverwalk Plaza, in downtown Lowell.
Food and spirts are available for purchase. Admission to the concerts and parking are free. the concerts draw upwards of 1,000 visitors each week. The concert venue is wheelchair accessible. Bleacher seating is available or attendees can bring their own folding chair.
You don’t have to head to New York City to see the work of iconic American painter and printmaker Jasper Johns. The Grand Rapids Art Museum is set to open an exhibition of his prints only a couple of days after New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art opens its exhibit of Johns’ paintings.
Souvenir, 1970, Lithograph on paper, has a self portrait of Jasper Johns in the lower left corner.
(Photo by Gene Pittman for Walker Art Center.)
“An Art of Changes: Jasper John Prints, 1960-2018,” will be on display at the GRAM from Oct. 2 through Jan. 8. The exhibition surveys six decades of Johns’ practice of printmaking through a selection of about 90 works in a wide range of techniques.
“‘An Art of Changes’ is one of the most beautiful exhibitions I have seen at GRAM,” said GRAM Chief Curator Ron Platt. “Making prints was just as important to Johns as making paintings, and over his long career he mastered the full range of printmaking processes and materials. Johns is rightly known as a deep thinker, but this exhibition proves how much he also loved working with different materials and processes to create works that dazzle the eye.”
Johns, who at the age of 91 continues to work at his Connecticut studio, became well known for his American flag and targets. In 1958, Johns had the opportunity for a solo exhibition at the famed Leo Castelli Gallery in New York City, where the Museum of Modern Art purchased three of his pieces, according the artist’s bio.
“The truth is sometimes scorned but it is that one night I dreamed I painted a large American flag and the next day I got up and went out and bought materials to begin it,” Johns said in an interview about his art.
Always more focused on the process of art, Johns transitioned to print making with his first print, a lithography of a target, released in 1960. Since then, he has reworked many of his paintings in print form using strategies and techniques such as fragmenting, doubling, reversing, and varying scale or color. To date, Johns has created more than 350 prints in intaglio, lithography, wood and linoleum cut, screen printing, lead relief, and blind embossing.
Target, 1974, screen on paper (Jasper Johns/VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY)
The exhibition follows Johns’ deep fascination with printmaking and is organized in four thematic sections: “Signs & Systems,” “In the Studio,“ “Surfaces,” and “Traces.” Viewers will see examples of the artist’s recognizable flags, targets, and numerals as well as images that incorporate the tools, materials, and techniques of mark-making; abstract works derived from images of flagstones and hatch marks; and more recent works that teem with autobiographical and personal imagery.
The GRAM is located at 101 Monroe Ave. NW. For museum hours and admission, visit ArtMuseumGR.org or call 616-831-1000.
The John Ball Zoo will once again be washed in sound and light as it brings back the popular “IllumiZoo.”
Offered for the first time last year, “IlluniZoo” is a nighttime journey through John Ball Zoo where guests stroll through an illuminated landscape of nature drenched in light and sound. The striking spectacle cycles through creative imagery, music-synchronized animal displays, and animated motifs of moving light.
The hues of natures are captured in this year’s IllumiZoo production. (Supplied)
“We are excited to continue creating unique experiences to tell the important story of conservation and bring the community together,” said John Ball Zoo Chief Development and Community Engagement Officer Kelli Smith.
Opening Sept. 3 and running through Nov. 14, this year’s “IllumiZoo” theme will be “Wild Hues,” with the many hues of color reflecting the “hues” of species and environments throughout the world. Each have their own unique colors, traits, and stories to tell. The survival of many of these species and enrichments are in jeopardy, with more than 16,000 animal species facing endangerment and extinction in the world.
“‘IllumiZoo Wild Hues’ is an illuminated message about our commotion to each other and our environment, and the power each of us possess to make a positive change in our world,” Smith said
This year’s display will tell the conservation stories by creating illuminating connections between wildlife and wild places. These connections will showcase how we are connected to the land, the water, the air, the trees and all the animals, big and small, with the power to make a positive change in the world.
This year’s pathway will be in the opposite direction of last year’s path and will travel into new areas of the zoo. Returning favorites from last year will be the “fobbles,” the interactive storytelling LED walls, and the Fluorescent Flower Field (formerly the fairy garden).
One of the new features to this year’s IllumiZoo is the oversized “campfire.” (Supplied)
New this year, will be an oversized “campfire” With digital embers flickering with color. Colorful animated animal footprints and lush greet leaves will illuminate the trail reacting to visitors steps. The “invisible” animals will also speed up and run away when guests get too close to their footprints. The night sky will also be illuminated with animal constellations, and more.
“We are thrilled to partner with John Ball Zoo again this year,” said Braden Graham, vice president of operations and client services, live events at Bluewater Technologies, which has designed and created the show. “Look for a slightly longer path and new interactive A/V and lighting elements as we bring the grounds of the Zoo to life at night.”
Tickets are $20/adults, $13/children ages 3-12, and free/children 2 and under. Time ticketing will vary as sunset times change. Guests are encouraged to reserve tickets in advance to guarantee dates and times. Tickets are available at www.jbzoo.org/tickets.
John Ball Zoo is located on Fulton Avenue, one mile west of downtown Grand Rapids. For more information, visit www.jbzoo.org, call 616-336-4301, or email info@jbozoo.org.
The centuries old tradition of black ash basketry will be the focus of the Grand Rapids Art Museum’s next installment of its Michigan Artist Series.
Set to open Aug. 28, “The Black Ash Basketry of Kelly Church and Cherish Parrish,” features the work of the mother-and-daughter team who are members of the Gun Lake Tribe, Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band.
“The black ash tree is an integral part of who we are, from creation stories to blood memories, to the baskets that we make today,” Artist Kelly Church said. “We start with the black ash tree, and we do all of the processing—we harvest it, we process it, we cut it, and then we make a basket that tells a story of our life today. We’re combining the traditions of our past that have been carried on for thousands of years.”
The artists and their family come from an unbroken line of black ash basket makers. The Anishinabe originally made baskets purely for utility, weaving them in various sizes for carrying, collecting, and storing. As a broader appreciation for Native baskets developed, their ancestors began creating decorative baskets to sell and bolster the tribal economy. Church and Parrish draw on these traditions to create more topical and experimental works. An Interwoven Legacy powerfully demonstrates both their astonishing artistry and their urgent advocacy on behalf of Native traditions.
The exhibition emphasizes two of the artists’ primary motivations: the importance of maintaining the basketmaking tradition within their culture, and their advocacy for the black ash tree’s survival, which is being decimated by an invasive insect, the emerald ash borer. These issues are critically important for people whose cultural survival depends on passing traditions on to the next generations, whether through language, ceremonies, or practices like basketry.
Church added, “Cherish and I take our old traditional teachings and we combine it with the contemporary stories of who we are as Natives in 2021. We are the largest basket weaving family in Michigan, and the fact that we can carry it on this long, to me shows strength and resilience of who we are.”
On exhibit through February 26, the artists will debut more than 20 new works in An Interwoven Legacy that focus on the centuries-old tradition of black ash basketry. The exhibit will be a mix of traditional baskets and the contemporary ones that draw on Native history and storytelling.
“The Grand Rapids Art Museum’s exhibition presents the work of two Michigan basket makers who are nationally-recognized for their remarkable level of skill and craft,” said GRAM Chief Curator Ron Platt. “In Kelly Church and Cherish Parrish’s family, basket weaving has been handed down from one generation to the next, extending back centuries. Their work is especially powerful for the way it balances tradition with their concerns about the environment, both here in West Michigan, and nationally.”
Kelly Church demonstrates her work. (Courtesy)
Accompanying the exhibition will be documentary elements illustrating the strenuous process of harvesting black ash trees and preparing the splints for basketmaking, as well as stories and background information from Church and Parrish about the works on view.
Complementing the exhibition will be several related programming and events, including Drop-in Tours, virtual basketmaking workshops led by Kelly Church, and Drop-in Studio. Guests are encouraged to view the Museum’s updated visitor guidelines in advance of their visit, which includes face mask requirements for all visitors while indoors.
For those who prefer to experience the exhibition virtually, there will be digital resources on GRAM’s website including installation images, a video interview with the artists, archival photographs, and texts.
“It was nice to see all the people walking around,” wrote a Facebook friend as we discussed visiting downtown Grand Rapids to see the World of Winter Festival.
Hosted by Downtown Grand Rapids, Inc. (DGRI) and the City of Grand Rapids, the annual event is designed to encourage area residents to get out and enjoy the winter weather. Wanting to make the event special, especially with everyone dealing with the pandemic, the city’s DDA added to its initial $150,000 contribution with an additional $155,000 to expand the festival. This allow organizers to increase the number of outdoor sculptures .
The festival runs through the end of February with different activities and sculpture pieces being installed.
“HYBYCOZO” is on display at Ah-Nab-Awen Park. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)
Currently on display is “HYBYCOZO,” a series of large-scale installations and artworks that investigate geometric exploration and patterns through light, shadow, and perception. The piece is located at Ah-Nab-Awen Park, which is in front of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, 303 Pearl St. NW.
Between the Blue Bridge and Pearl Street will be “Grand Illuminations” featuring light and color along the Grand River.
“Winter Tumbleweeds and Grasses,” on the Blue Bridge, is an interactive art installation made out of more than 5,000 pool noodles. The installation features five large tumbleweeds, three small tumbleweeds and for groves and two anemones.
Near the Grand Rapids Public Museum, 272 Pearl St. NW, is the “Path of Encouragement,” which features positive saying and messages such as “It’s OK to no be OK.”
“Path of Encouragement” is located near the Grand Rapids Public Museum. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)
Look to the sky to see the 20-foot inflatable dancing tube persons on top of 10 buildings throughout downtown Grand Rapids. Part of the “Color the Skyline,” the bright colorful characters can be seen from the downtown sidewalks as well as from US-131 and I-196.
Being added on Friday is “Impulse,” an interactive art installation that consists of 15 seesaws that light up and create sound when put into motion by people. “Impulse” is located on Monroe. At Canal Park is “The Singing Tree,” a lighting experience that transforms traditional displays into interactive experiences. Participants will be able to sing, clap, or yell to create an unforgettable and magical experience.
Another installation, set to run Jan. 29 – Feb. 2 is the “Ice Luminaries.” Featuring 10 giant icicles with lights frozen in the center, the Ice Luminaries will light the way along the Gillett Bridge located near Ah-Nab-Awen Park.
“Winter Tumbleweeds and Grasses” on the Blue Bridge. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)
On Feb. 1, the “Elevated Love Language” project, led by Grand Rapids Poet Laureate Ericka “Key Kane” Thompson, will be installed. In this exhibit, short poetic expressions from local artists will be placed on billboards or projected onto buildings throughout the city.
Also in February, every Saturday and Sunday night, will be “Projection Mapping” by Live Space, which will light up the front of the Civic Auditorium, located on Lyon Square across from the Amway Grand Plaza.
More than 80 ice sculptures will be part of the Valent-ICE, which will take place Feb. 12 – 14. Grand Rapids Running Tours will be offering Ice Sculpture Walking Tours and self-guided tours also will be available.
Many of the past group experiences will not be taking place at this year’s event, however DGRI is planning to live-streaming dance performances at two installations. Also during the six-week event, there will be walking tours such as The Chilly Challenge: the Heartside Walking Tours and Black History Walking Tours as well as pop-up performances, tribal storytelling, outdoor ice games, and a scavenger hunt.
The Lakeshore Museum Center located in Muskegon (Supplied)
A new exhibit at the Lakeshore Museum Center aims to highlight quilts crafted by one dedicated woman. This exhibit will showcase a Muskegon woman who was well-known in the quilting world, but not recognized in her own community. The museum will be displaying the work of the late Rosie Lee Wilkins in Who is Rosie Lee Wilkins– Piecing Together Her History.
“I was inspired to research Rosie after realizing just how few people knew the story of this amazing woman,” said Collections Manager, Brenda Nemetz. “Parts of her history are still unrecorded and I think that’s what made the process so interesting. To many, pieces of her life were enigmatic.”
Lakeshore Museum Center will display just a fraction of the 100 quilts sewn by Wilkins herself. However, the quilts are only a small patch of Wilkins’ story, as visitors will find out. In addition to displaying some of Rosie’s work, the museum staff will share just how they managed to uncover so much of her history.
The exhibit is up through April 24, 2021, which visitors can enjoy at no additional cost. Museum admission is $5 for non-Muskegon County residents and free to those who live in the area as well as museum members. Guests may tour the exhibit during regular business hours, social distancing and masks are expected.
For more information about Lakeshore Museum Center events or exhibits, visit their website or call 231-722-0278.
The Fornosan Clouded Leopard looks mournfully at the passerby while in the distance a large yellow construction truck sits on top of the remanence of a forest; the forest that was once his home.
Today animals are going extinct at rapid rates. The Fornosan Clouded Leopard is an example of this as it was driven to extinction by habitat destruction and illegal hunting. According to the World Wild Life organization, over the past 40 years there has been a 60% decline in the size of animal populations. In Michigan, there are currently 25 species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The Grand Rapids Public Museum is working to being attention to this important topic in its latest exhibit “Wild Connections,” which features more than 20 Lego sculptures that explore mankind’s relationship with nature.
“In this exhibit you will be able to explore larger than life Lego creations such as wildlife, plants and insects, as well as how humans interact with nature, ” said GRPM Marketing Manager Alee’a Cherry. “This exhibit appeals to everyone of all ages and it also bridges art, creativity, and science,”
The artist behind the exhibit Sean Kenney, who uses the toy blocks to explore animal endangerment, the balance of ecosystems, and mankind’s relationship with nature. The exhibit highlights animals big and small and explores the balance of ecosystems, predator/prey relationships, as well as the relationships between humankind and the natural world.
Kenney lives in New York City and understands the importance of preserving nature. He believes that everything in nature is interconnected and this exhibition allows visitors to appreciate both nature and the sculptures as something beautiful. His goal is to celebrate the inherent beauty in nature and to protect animal habitats.
“Growing Ideas” (WKTV Journal/Anna Johns)
Of the 20 sculptures, Cherry said she could see a couple become fan favorites.
“The bike because it is so large and you feel like you can get right on and ride it,” she said with a laugh.
Near the large red tricycle, is “Growing Ideas,” another piece that Cherry said she believes will also be a fan favorite.
“Being able to see all the intricate parts of the city created in Lego bricks is just truly amazing,” she said.
This piece, which is a large-scale city scape with a cloud of ideas hanging over, was built with more than half a million Legos and was one of the biggest projects Kenney and his team ever took on. The Legos represent ideas that fall from the tree raining down onto the city showing that inspiration and creativity have no limits.
“Deforestation” (WKTV Journal/Anna Johns)
In addition to the exhibit, visitors have the opportunity to participate in interactive activities. Guests can pose for a Lego-themed photo or follow the animal tracks for a scavenger hunt. They can also test their skills with challenges such as “How far can you jump?,” and “How tall are you in Legos?”
“We hope that people walk away with the inspiration to create something,” Cherry said. “We want to make sure people go home with the information they need to research more, make informed decisions, and also create.”
“Wild Connections” is open until May 2, 2021. Tickets are $12 for adults and $7 for children with discounts for museum members and Kent County residents. Advanced ticketing is required and tickets can be purchased at https://www.grpm.org/legos/.
Mathias Alten often painted bucolic scenes, such as farmers using oxen, in a nostalgic response to the immense modernization around him in the early 20th Century.
Another constant for the German-born impressionist artist was his depiction of the Michigan landscape, a collection of beloved pieces from the lakeshore, cities and rural areas that experts say helped cement the reference to him as the “Dean of Michigan Painters.”
“Mathias J. Alten: An American Artist at the Turn of the Century,” will begin on Sept. 20 at the Dennos Museum Center in Traverse City.
A painting by Mathis Alten is prepared to be shipped as part of a statewide exhibition of his works. (Supplied/GVSU)
“Narratives of empathy, peace, love, social justice, equity — all core elements to what it means to be human — are told through art,” said Nathan Kemler, director of Grand Valley’s galleries and collections. “I believe the stories art tells belong to everybody and we want to take these stories into our communities and across our state.”
Other scheduled venues are the Daughtrey Gallery at Hillsdale College, the Michigan Historical Museum in Lansing and the Muskegon Museum of Art, said Joel Zwart, curator of exhibitions for the Art Gallery, who added officials are working through hosting dates due to the uncertainty from COVID-19.
The exhibition includes more than 40 works drawn from the Art Gallery collection as well as historical photos and personal artifacts such as brushes to fully tell the story of Alten’s life, Zwart said.
Alten’s artistic work was one of inspiration from travels to major art and cultural centers around the globe and creating pieces that showed the quiet reflection of himself as well as his surroundings when his travel was limited during World War I and the 1918 pandemic.
His lifelong celebration of his surroundings in Michigan, in particular the environmental landscapes, especially resonated with George Gordon, who along with his wife, Barbara, donated 35 paintings in 1998 to initiate Grand Valley’s collection. The momentum that ensued after that initial donation not only led to the distinction of GVSU having the world’s largest public collection of Alten’s work but also the entire artist Catalogue Raisonné and published scholarship.
“All of this is only possible because of the Gordons’ contributions and their passion not only for Mathias Alten but also art in general,” Kemler said. “The Gordons could have done several different things with that collection. They shared our vision that works need to be seen, they need to be shared and they need to be out in front as much as possible, not in storage.”
Alten’s works are on exhibit in the George and Barbara Gordon Gallery on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. It open from 1-5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, except for holiday weekends, and admission is free.
The Muskegon Museum of Art has reopened with “Shaping the Future, Celebrating the Past,” an exhibition that highlights and explores the various facets of its internationally recognized permanent collection in all of its galleries through the summer and fall of 2020. Each gallery in the museum features a different theme with displays of works representing various facets of the collection. Visitors will see the MMA’s most recognized masterworks along with more rarely seen objects that define over 100 years of collecting, begun in 1910.
The Shows
“GLASS: Treasures from the Permanent Collection” anchors the Shaping the Future, Celebrating the Past exhibition with a dramatic and colorful display of the MMA’s decade-spanning collection of studio glass in L.C. and Margaret Walker Gallery. Works by many of the artists that defined the studio glass movement, including Dale Chihuly, Harvey Littleton, and Marvin Lipofsky, join works made by today’s new masters. Collections of vintage Tiffany and Steuben lamps and glasswork and pieces from the pioneering days of contemporary studio glass give visitors a glimpse into the changing technologies and interests that have shaped the glass movement. GLASS also celebrates the legacy of C. Corcoran “Corky” Tuttle and her husband Robert Tuttle, who introduced the museum and its supporters to studio glass and helped guide collecting. Through Corky, the MMA has hosted internationally recognized glass artists Dante Marioni, Stephen Rolfe Powell, Benjamin Moore, Debora Moore, Sonja Blomdahl, Nancy Callan, and many others represented by our collection and featured in this show.
Rick Beck, The Bull, cast glass and steel, 2004 (Supplied/MMA)
“Pictures of the Best Kind” presents the MMA’s most recognized and renowned treasures in the Bettye Clark Cannon Gallery to showcase the strengths of the museum’s past and the ongoing acquisitions that build upon its legacy and shape its future. Since 1905, through funds donated by Charles H. Hackley and the gifts of benefactors that followed him, the museum has acquired works of art by contemporary and historic artists alike, bringing to West Michigan a wide array of artistic expression. Visitors will see artworks by famed artists such as Edward Hopper, John Steuart Curry, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Winslow Homer, James A. M. Whistler, Robert Henri, Reginald Marsh, Arthur B. Davies, John Sloan, Roger Brown, Elizabeth Catlett, Deborah Butterfield, and Hughie Lee-Smith.
“From Dürer to Rembrandt: Five Centuries of Art and Faith,” in the Theodore and Joan Operhall Gallery, displays works from the earliest days of printmaking in 15th-century Germany and 17th-century Holland that chronicle the significant influence of faith on the advancement of art. Prints by luminaries such as Albrecht Dürer, Martin Schongauer, Hendrik Goltzius, and Rembrandt are on display, along with Lucas Cranach the Elder’s portraits of Martin Luther and Katharina Van Bora and Joos van Cleve’s 16th-century St. Jerome in Penitence. Paintings by Dutch, German, and Swedish artists inspired by these traditions, portraying both secular and religious subject matter, are also on display.
“Graphic: 19th- and 20th-Century Prints and Watercolors” highlights some of the best works from the MMA’s extensive holdings of works on paper in the Theodore and Joan Operhall Gallery. This exhibition features the works of important artists and provides our guests with an overview of the history and innovations that characterize the field of printmaking from its golden age in late 19th- and early 20th-century Europe to the etchings, lithographs, woodcuts, and screen prints of today. Prints include those by Pablo Picasso, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, John Steuart Curry, Françoise Gilot, Alexander Calder, John Sloan, Isabel Bishop, and Mary Cassatt. Watercolors by Thomas Hart Benton and Charles Burchfield as well as those of contemporary Michigan and Midwest artists are also on display.
“The Artist’s Lens: 20th- and 21st-Century Photography,” in the Alcoa Foundation/Ernest and Marjorie Cooper Gallery, shows the important role photography has played in the MMA’s exhibition and collecting history. A selection of images that define the photography holdings are displayed, including pieces from the 1946 Muskegon Camera Club collection, iconic prints from renowned photographers, modern West Michigan subjects, and the works of contemporary artists from around the U.S. A selection of prints and ephemera from Edward Curtis’s photographic masterpiece The North American Indian is also featured.
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (Japanese, 1839-1892) Hōjō Tokiyori Standing in Snow (From “Dai Nippon Meisho Kagami (Mirrors of Famous Commanders of Japan)”) Woodblock print on paper, 1878 (Supplied/MMA)
“The Arts of Japan,” in L.C. and Margaret Walker Gallery B, features pieces from our historic and modern Japanese print collection and examples of Japanese ceramics and highlights from the George Hilt Collection of Sumida ware, a rare group of objects made in pre-WWII Japan. World traveling residents of early 20th-century Muskegon returned from their journeys with art from around the world, most notably fine decorative objects from Japan and China. These pieces made their way into the museum’s collection, inspiring an interest in Japanese woodblock prints. In addition to a collection of vintage prints by masters such as Utagawa Hiroshige, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, and Utagawa Kunisada begun in the 1920s, the museum has acquired, by gift and purchase, prints by modern and contemporary Japanese artists.
“A Living Legacy: Modern and Contemporary Art,” in the Michael and Kay Olthoff/Thelma and Paul Wiener Gallery, highlights the MMA’s ongoing commitment to display and purchase work by living artists. The featured paintings and sculpture showcase a wide range of styles and inspirations, from abstraction to contemporary realism. Senior Curator Art Martin comments, “In continuing to collect contemporary pieces, the MMA is an active participant in an international conversation about art and art making, bringing new perspectives and voices to our audiences and keeping a living record of what moves and informs us as a culture.”
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) announced today that tickets are now on sale for the new traveling exhibit, Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids, which will open this November.
Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids, organized by the American Museum of Natural History in New York, traces the natural and cultural roots of some of the world’s most enduring mythological creatures from Asia, Europe, the Americas, and beyond.
Opening on Saturday, Nov. 11, visitors will explore the various mythical creatures of the world. Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids features models and replicas of preserved specimens as well as cast fossils of prehistoric animals to investigate how they could have, through misidentification, speculation, fear, or imagination, inspired the development of some legendary creatures.
Admission to Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids is $12 for adults, $7 for children, $9 for Kent County resident adults, $4 for Kent County resident children, and $2 for all Museum members. Tickets include general admission to the Museum, and can be purchased online at grpm.org or by calling 616-929-1700.
Museum members can be the first to see the new exhibit at the members only preview on Friday, Nov. 10, from 6 to 10 p.m. Members are encouraged to dress as their favorite mythical character for extra excitement! Member preview tickets are $2 per member, and available at grpm.org/Dragons.
Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids offers many interactive stations throughout the exhibition. Visitors can build their own dragon on an engaging touch-screen and watch it come alive before their eyes in a virtual environment.
Visitors will touch casts of a narwhal tusk to discover how they lent credence to the centuries-old belief in the unicorn. Hands-on stations also include the lower jaw of Gigantopithecus (extinct group of apes) and a life-size reproduction of the talon of a Haast’s eagle.
The exhibition will include imaginative models, paintings, and textiles, along with other cultural objects from around the world. The exhibit will bring to light surprising similarities and differences in the ways people around the world have been inspired by nature to envision and depict these strange and wonderful creatures.
This exhibit will be located on the Museum’s third floor and run from Nov. 11 to May 20.
Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (amnh.org), in collaboration with the Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney; Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau-Quebec; Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Atlanta; and The Field Museum, Chicago.
A new exhibit titled, “50/50: Of Color and Black & White,” by local artist Bill Chardon, opens at the Leep Art Gallery on October 5 at the Postma Center on the Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services campus in Grand Rapids.
The exhibit works will reflect a broad range of interests from the artist’s last ten years. In that sense, it is a retrospective, with the earliest photographic works being “Cattle Guard” and “Andrew’s Tree,” and more recent works such as “Enduring” and “Jeckyll #1.”
“While reviewing the images I’ve chosen I realized that there are an almost equal number of color and black and white photographs. It wasn’t intentional, but is reflective of my work,” says artist Bill Chardon. “The juxtaposition of colors has always intrigued me; and I find a well-conceived black and white image just as compelling for the juxtaposition of values. For me, there is no judging which is more worthy. There is only recognition that they can both render a compelling story.”
Chardon grew up in Northern New Jersey about 20 miles west of Manhattan. In the 1960s, this area was small-town, somewhat rural America, with woods and streams to explore, and he developed a deep connection and appreciation for the natural world. After high school he attended Calvin College where he graduated with a BA in Art, and Kendall College of Art and Design with a BFA in Advertising Design. For almost 40 years, graphic design has been his profession.
“A judge’s statement for a show I participated in said that an image should have a ‘hook’; something that pulls the viewer in. This description had an impact on me; and since then I have been more conscious of what that ‘hook’ may be in a particular image,” says Charon. “Whatever the ‘hook’ is in a particular photograph, my ultimate goal as a photographer is to engage you.”
Chardon’s work has been exhibited in a number of venues in the Midwest and has received special recognition from B&W Magazine, The Muskegon Museum of Art, and Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts. He has been a participant in ArtPrize for the past five years with this year’s exhibit at the Women’s City Club.
The Pine Rest Leep Art Gallery exhibit will be on display at the Postma Center located at 300 68thStreet, SE, Grand Rapids, Mich., from October 5 until December 29, 2017. The Leep Art Gallery is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. and is free and open to the public. For more information, please call 616.222.4530 or go to www.pinerest.org/events.
A new exhibit titled, “Innovative Artistry,” by local artist Patti Sevensma, ISEA-NF, NCS, opens at the Leep Art Gallery on March27. The mixed media exhibit is at the Postma Center on the Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services campus in Grand Rapids.
Having grown up on the shores of Lake Michigan, Sevensma compares her love of creating art to her life-long fascination with the serene, but often turbulent lake. “It’s beautiful, awesome, and terrifying all at the same time. Making art is the same way. Every project is an adventure in and of itself.” As the lake is ever changing, Sevensma, too, continues to change as a multimedia artist. She is learning not only to enhance her creative process but also to make her life more exciting and fulfilling.
Early on, Sevensma developed a love of drawing, designing, and even sewing her own clothes. As her sons entered high school, Sevensma focused on becoming a professional photographer and also began taking art classes at Grand Rapids Community College along with local instructor Loretta Sailors, who has been a significant influence on her work. Sevensma also took workshops led by nationally known artists in drawing, watercolor, collage, and mixed media. Her goal has always been to try as many mediums as possible before she dies.
Sevensma shares her passion for learning by teaching classes and workshops to inspire others to discover the joy of making art. She teaches photography, with an emphasis on how to capture and design a great photo; critique class for artists seeking to improve their design and composition skills; and watercolor for beginning artists.
Sevensma’s artwork is on display at The Flat River Gallery and Framing in Lowell; Mullaly’s 128 Studio and Gallery in Elk Rapids; Museum Contempo in Shelton, Washington; Frames Unlimited Galleries in Grand Rapids, and other locations in the Midwest. She is a member of the National Collage Society and President of the International Society of Experimental Artists.
The exhibit will be on display at Pine Rest Postma Center located at 300 68th Street, SE, Grand Rapids, Mich., from March 27 until June 30, 2017. The Leep Art Gallery is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and is free and open to the public. For more information, please call 616.222.4530 or go to www.pinerest.org/events.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum got its holiday celebrations started a little early with the end of October opening of its latest exhibit “Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!”
The traveling exhibit, which will be at the Museum through Jan. 29, celebrates the holiday season through 50 “Peanuts” daily and Sunday comic strips that adorn the walls of the exhibit along with more than 50 vintage “Peanuts”-themed seasonal novelties and a video featuring Charlie Brown creator Charles Schulz, producer Lee Menelson and animator/director Bill Melendez that details the sometimes magical and often madcap making of the ground breaking animated feature “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”
“This was an exhibit we were really interested in because it resonates with a lot of people,” said Kate Moore, the museum’s vice president of marketing and public relations. “‘A Charlie Brown Christmas!’ has been out since 1965 with a lot of people who have seen it and who have share it with their families.”
For many growing up from the late 1960s to the 1990s, gathering in front of the television to watch Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang remind everyone the meaning of Christmas was a time-honored family tradition.
And like many classics, those involved in its creation, and even the television executives who reviewed it, were certain they had created a flop. But with less than a week for its national broadcast premiere, the show went on with “A Charlie Brown Christmas” airing on Dec. 9, 1965 and receiving critical acclaim from “The Hollywood Reporter,” “Weekly Variety,” “The Washington Post,” and the “New York Post.” It went on to win a 1966 Emmy Award for Outstanding Children’s Program with Charlie Brown’s creator, Charles Schulz joking “Charlie Brown is not used to winning, so we thank you.”
Along with opening the door to other similar half-hour animated specials such as “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” as a television tradition, it was the first to feature religious text, which those involve discuss in the “Making of ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas,’ which was aired in 2001 and was hosted by Whoopi Goldberg. Those who visit the exhibit will have the opportunity to view the documentary on a retro TV in overstuffed beanbags.
Also in the exhibit, which is located on the second floor of the museum marked by a large Snoopy doghouse, visitors can write letters to Santa, try their hand at animation and even test their musical skills on a Schroeder-style piano.
“We will have other activities themed around this exhibit and our recently opened ‘Whales: Giants of the Deep’,” Moore said, adding that the museum’s annual Snowflake Break will incorporate both the “Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown” and “Whales” exhibits with the Museum also having the elf scavenger hunt, display of historic Santas, and Night at the Museum on Dec. 28. As to the theme of this year’s Christmas tree, Moore said “well, people will just have to come by and see.”
Also StageGR will be presenting “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown” at the museum’s Meijer Theatre.
“Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown,” which is organized and toured by the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, is part of the regular admission to the museum, which is $8/adults and $3/students and children 3- 17. “Whales: Giants of the Deep” is $13/adults and $8 students with ID and children 3 – 17 and includes the general admission. For more information, visit www.grpm.org. The Grand Rapids Public Museum is located at 272 Pearl St. NW.
Before the advent of humankind, whales roamed the oceans unfettered by humans and dangerous, man-made noises. It is said that back then, a whale in the Pacific Ocean could hear a whale singing in the Atlantic Ocean. What a world that must have been.
Sadly, those days are long gone and we have become far removed from our huge mammal friends. But the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) wants to change that. The GRPM’s Whales: Giants of the Deep exhibition’s unique blend of science, storytelling, and innovative interactivity gives visitors the opportunity to discover more about the world of whales.
Featuring two fully-articulated sperm whale skeletons, including an impressive 58-foot male, Whales showcases amazing and rare specimens from New Zealand’s Te Papa Museum’s whale collection, one of the largest in the world. Visitors will see life-size and scale models of whales common to the South Pacific as well as contemporary whalebone treasures such as weapons and chiefly adornments.
They’ll also learn about whale biology, the extraordinary evolutionary journey of whales from land to sea, and the history of whaling in New Zealand.
Children can even crawl through a life-size replica of the heart of a blue whale, the Earth’s largest living creature.
Interactive, immersive, and featuring the latest in international cetacean research, Whales: Giants of the Deep is an experience that brings adults and children eye to eye with some of the world’s most elusive creatures.
Here are some of the exhibition highlights:
See life-size and scale models of whales common to the South Pacific, including a beaked whale skull and a massive 58-foot, fully-articulated sperm whale skeleton.
Learn about the intricacies of whale biology, the history of whaling in New Zealand, and efforts being made by scientists and others to protect whales from threats of entanglement, shipping and sonar use, and the continuation of whaling practices in some parts of the world.
View casts of fossil whale ancestors, which show the evolutionary journey of whales from land to sea, as well as contemporary whalebone treasures such as weapons and chiefly adornments.
Encounter whales through video portholes, be transported into their underwaterworld via two immersive projections, and enjoy a moving film experience that tells the stories of three whale-riding traditions in New Zealand, including the famous story of Paikea featured in Whale Rider.
See ancient and contemporary works of art and hear stories from people of the South Pacific illustrating the powerful influence these creatures have had on human culture.
Tune in to a range of whale sounds and discover how scientists and amateur trackers identify individual whales on their migration through the Pacific Ocean.
Gain a true appreciation of the physical and behavioral traits that enable whales to make a living in the challenging and dynamic marine environment.
Walk among the giant—and not-so-giant—articulated skeletons of an astoundingly diverse collection of whale specimens, and then explore the evolutionary paths that gave rise to this unique group of mammals.
Beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 22, Whales: Giants of the Deep tickets will be $2 for member adults and children, and $13 for non-member adults and $8 for non-member children. Admission to Whales: Giants of the Deep includes general admission to the Museum. Get tickets here.
Come to the Special Opening Party, Saturday, Oct. 22 from 9 am to 2 pm.
Visitors of all ages will have first access to the exhibit at this party coming eye to eye with some of the world’s most elusive creatures. Featuring two fully-articulated sperm whale skeletons, visitors are able to see life-size and scale models of whales common to the South Pacific, discover how scientists identify whales on their migration process and interact with a life-size replica of a blue whale, the world’s largest living creature.
Tickets to this event will include admission to the exhibit, as well as hands-on activities and performances including live animals from the John Ball Zoo, performances by traditional Maori dancers, admission to Dynamic Earth in the Museum’s Chaffee Planetarium and lunch.
Use your ticket for lunch between 11 am and 1:30 pm to eat lunch at the Museum. Lunch will include hot dogs, chips, fruit with a drink and dessert.
Non-members: Receive incredible savings for the Opening Party! Purchase a one year family membership plus 4 tickets to the event for only $80 (saving $57). To purchase a membership package call 616.456.3977.
Members are $10 for adults and FREE for member children. Non-member event-only tickets are $18 for adults and $13 for children. Limited tickets available.
In “Earth Explorers” participants can explore the ocean floor. (Christopher Gannon/Gannon Visuals)
Journey around the world at the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) in the new exhibit “Earth Explorers” opening May 21. Organized around Earth’s eco-zones, “Earth Explorers” brings the unparalleled adventures of “National Geographic” to life.
“Earth Explorers” allows visitors to let their imaginations run wild as they become explorers and embark on an adventure to discover new species, study animal behavior and learn about the important roles technology, innovation and ingenuity play in making and documenting these discoveries.
Explore an arctic cabin and test your ability to live in an ice-covered world. Descend into the deep ocean in a 3-D submersible and explore how life forms at varying depths, even coming face-to-face with a great white shark. Identify incredible insects from the Amazon while learning the benefits of biodiversity. Ascend into the thin air of the Himalayas. Soar in a hot air balloon over the Savanna while learning about the life of elephants and other mammals.
“’Earth Explorers’ gives our community a chance to visit places most are never able to go,” said Kate Moore, VP of Marketing and Public Relations. “This exhibit is highly interactive, allowing visitors to engage in the various eco-zones, making it a fun learning experience for all ages.”
Visitors will learn about the daring men and women who venture into dangerous and remote parts of the world to discover new places, help protect our planet’s biodiversity and unearth new scientific discoveries.
Participants will come face-to-face with a Great White Shark in the “Earth Explorers” exhibit at the Grand Rapids Publc Museum. (Christopher Gannon/Gannon Visuals)
Admission to “Earth Explorers” will be included with general admission to the GRPM and is free to Museum members. For more information, visit grpm.org/EarthExplorers.
CHILL: The Polar Regions
Experience life on ice in Earth’s extreme Polar Regions. Covered with icicles, battered by winds and harsh weather, an Arctic cabin invites hands-on discovery about surviving and thriving in the Polar Regions. Assemble the right mix of protein and carbohydrates in “What’s for Dinner?” Watch a polar bear pace outside a window and flip through the Explorer’s Notebook to learn first-hand survival strategies from photographer Paul Nicklen. Compare your own “thermogram” heat loss signature to a polar bear’s and test out how well different gloves protect your hands from the chill of an ice plate.
DIVE: The Oceans Can you handle life under pressure? Find out in the Oceans eco-zone, where you’ll descend into the deep in a 3-D submersible. Mysteries of life under pressure and at great depths are revealed through stunning National Geographic videos. Learn the science behind submersibles and how life forms at varying depths. Get up close and personal with AIR JAWS, an 11-foot long sculpted great white shark—one of the ocean’s oldest and most misunderstood predators.
TREK: The Rain Forests
Hang out in a prep tent for fun, self-guided discovery about life in the tropical rain forests – the wet, wild and wonderful ecosystem that provides much of the air we breathe, safeguards Earth’s incredible biodiversity and may well hold the key to new life-saving remedies. Try your hand at identifying incredible insects from the Amazon and get “grossed out” with realistic creepy-crawlies while discovering the benefits of biodiversity.
CLIMB: Mountains and Caves
Descend closer to the Earth’s core and ascend to its highest peaks. Meet Carsten Peter, an explorer who takes on Earth’s most challenging caves to share photographs with the rest of the world. Then, ascend into the thin air of the Himalayas, but be careful, you might be caught by a camera trap, the same technology used by explorer Steve Winter to capture photos of the elusive snow leopard.
SOAR: The Savanna
Take a hot air balloon ride to witness “Life On the Move.” Through seamless video production, surround sound and other atmospheric effects, you’ll soon have the sensation of flying over a savanna where wild herds still roam. Next, put your animal tracking and migration mapping skills to the test, and meet explorers who document the incredible life cycles and stories of elephants and other endangered mammals of the savanna.
“Earth Explorers” is produced by Global Experience Specialists (GES) in partnership with “National Geographic.”
