GV Art Gallery welcomes new pieces across campus 

The GVSU Art Gallery is now featuring the work of Javier Salazar Rojas, who goes by the name of “Deported Artist,” in honor of this past September being Hispanic Heritage Month. 

Salazar Rojas specializes in painting in different mediums like acrylic, oils, and aerosols. He also enjoys digital art. 

He said that his artwork is inspired by his life struggles and those of his culture. He said his focus is on addressing the need for immigration reform, farmworker rights, and the need for change in the face of social injustices. 

A second new collection to the gallery features the work of GVSU photographers documenting GVSU’s College of Health Professions. 

Some of the photos can be found on the 4th floor of the DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health, and the entire series can be found in the gallery’s online collection. 

Grand Rapids Art Museum features new printmaking exhibition

The Grand Rapids Art Museum’s latest exhibition, “An Art of Changes” features prints from Jasper Johns Prints from 1960-2018. 

Johns, an American artist, first released his paintings of flags and targets in 1958. Following this release, he received instant acclaim and was able to establish his artistic style as a branch between Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art. 

For 60 years Johns has continued to make prints through varied printmaking techniques. 

The exhibition opened to members at a Member Exhibition Opening on Oct. 1 and the general public on Oct. 2. 

Grand Rapids Public Museum opens new exhibit about bats

The Grand Rapids Public Museum recently opened its newest exhibit called “Bats: Masters of the Night.”

While bats are often stereotyped as being spooky, blood-sucking creatures, this exhibit is meant to show that in real life bats are gentle, beneficial animals. 

The exhibit features lifelike models, multisensory interactive displays, and environmentally lifelike settings. 

Visitors enter the exhibition through a Gothic castle, where they will encounter centuries of different cultures and their own mythic representations of bats. 

They will then be taken into a transitional area that features bat portrait photography and a giant-screen video to show the audience the real, diverse world of bats. In the video, the bats’ skills and abilities will be shown as they are used in their natural habitat. 

There will also be a hands-on display to showcase the evening activities of bats such as echolocation (sonar ability), pollination, diet and flight. In order to demonstrate echolocation, visitors can use a joystick to control a bat model in search of food by using a laser to simulate sonar. 

Visitors will also be invited to visit a bat nursery to learn how bat mothers use the sound to help them find their baby. 

The exhibit is included with general admission to the museum.