China: The Life of the Civilian

The culmination of a student’s photography major and Chinese language minor combined with her sense of adventure, creativity and desire to find out all that she can about what it means to be a human – at least that’s how Megan Lendman describes her honors senior project. The solo photographic exhibit is the product of GVSU student Lendman’s time in Kunming, China, a city a bit larger than Grand Rapids. Through her travels, she experienced as well as captured both the exotic and the familiar, while also exploring the similarities and differences of various cultures. “China: The Life of the Civilian” will hang in the Red Wall Gallery, located in the lobby of Lake Ontario Hall, from Oct. 27 – Dec. 6. On Monday, Oct. 27, Lendman will host an artist reception in Room 130 of Lake Ontario Hall on GVSU’s Allendale Campus. For more about the exhibit, visit gvsu.edu/artgallery/upcoming-exhibitions-33.htm.

All Good in the Hood

While mash up artist Girl Talk certainly helped to popularize the technique of combining instrumentals and vocals from various genres into single tracks, other artists are taking their own approach to the mash up genre – one of which is The Hood Internet, who is performing at The Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids on Thursday, Oct. 23. The duo, based out of Chicago, specializes in splicing together hip-hop and indie rock. The pair has collaborated with a handful of artists including electronic musician Tobacco and alt hip-hop group Das Racist. The show starts at 9 p.m. and is open to anyone ages 18 and older. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 the day of the show. For more about the artist and the performance, visit thehoodinternet.com.

Thriller! Chiller!

The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts kicks off their Thriller! Chiller! Film Festival this week in downtown Grand Rapids. This year, one of the films is not only affiliated with Grand Valley State University, but was actually created by a handful of Lakers. Originally screened in Grand Rapids in July, the film, “Moths,” is based on a short story written by GVSU writing department professor Chris Haven and directed by GVSU alumni Andy Fortenbacher with screenplay by GVSU alumni Zac Page. The film will be shown on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. as well as on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 6 p.m. For tickets, a full schedule and more information about the film festival, check out thrillerchiller.com.

An Evening with Umphrey’s

While categorized as a progressive rock band, Umphrey’s McGee tends to wander into the realms of metal, funk, jazz and blues, just to name a few. On Saturday, Oct. 25, the six-man crew will wander into a familiar Michigan city – Grand Rapids. Over the last 15 years, the Midwest-based band has visited Grand Rapids on 14 occasions, playing at The Intersection, Frederik Meijer Gardens and The Orbit Room. This week, the group will once again bring their improvisational jams to The Orbit Room on the southeast side of Grand Rapids. Tickets for the show are $30 in advance and $35 the day of the show. The show is for ages 18 and older and begins at 8 p.m. For tickets, go to orbitroom.com/index.html. To find out more about Umphrey’s McGee, visit umphreys.com.