ArtPrize cultivates competition and world records

In a little over a month both Grand Rapids, Michigan and the Grand Valley State University community  will conclude the summer with the city’s newly annual ArtPrize competition. This contest brings artists from all over the world to Grand Rapids where they get to present their artistic passions in whatever medium they choose.

The artists use painting, design, sculptures, interactive pieces and whatever else they wish to do to display their passions. Many artists take this as a chance to tell a story or display their views of the world around them, while some artists take it as an opportunity to push boundaries.

One such artist is Christina Hindley.

To read more of Steven Lawrence’s coverage of this artist, click here.

GV art gallery curates the campuses

Grand Valley State University Art Gallery’s collection consists of over 25,000 unique works of art, making it the second largest art collection in the state of Michigan. The gallery staff works to create a cohesive display of artwork throughout all GVSU campuses – both in and outside of the buildings.

According to the gallery’s website, the gallery team’s main goal is to “empower our community to engage with visual narratives that align with university values.” They incorporate this way of thinking into planning exhibits, learning events and choosing art pieces. Art pieces in the GVSU collection include various topics, artists and mediums to reflect GVSU’s values of a liberal education.

Project Manager and Curator of Public Spaces, Alison Christensen, said there is a process behind the placement of artwork on campus. During the curation process, the team looks at what educational departments are in each building and places art that reflects what programs will be in that space.

To read more of Omari Seaberry’s coverage of the GVSU art collection, click here. 

Professional Shakespeare theatre company performs for GV Shakespeare Festival

As part of Grand Valley State University’s annual Shakespeare festival, the GVSU Department of Music, Theater and Dance partnered with the Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company to bring a new performance to campus.

The company held a production of “Blue Eye’d Hag” in the Pere Marquette room in the Kirkhof Center. The “Blue Eye’d Hag” is a relatively new play written by Jim Lair Beard serving as a prequel to “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare. The performance aimed to bring a new take on Shakespeare to the GVSU community.

The play is about two warring kingdoms about to be united by the marriage of their prince and princess. However, just as the king of Chatauk lands on the island of Kytiff for the wedding festivities, a mysterious woman also arrives on the island with her newborn baby. Then, plans for a royal wedding descend into chaos as magic and confusion ensue.

To read more of Steven Lawrence’s coverage of this event, click here. 

Grand Rapids Original Swing Society infuses dance and downtown

Everyday Tuesday night Grand Rapids Original Swing Society (GROSS) hosts an open event for people to swing dance in downtown Grand Rapids.

The organization was founded 18 years ago and aims to create a space for individuals of all ages to practice and learn swing dance. GROSS works to create community through the shared experience of swing dance.

The founder of GROSS, Steve Zaagman, expressed that he started the organization after finding a passion for swing dance.

To read more of Allison Bair’s coverage of GROSS, click here. 

CAB hosts first fall concert

This past week Campus Activities Board (CAB) held its fall concert with a performance from Indie-Pop band lovelytheband. The event took place in downtown Grand Rapids at GLC live at 20 Monroe, with an estimated turnout of about 700 people after only one week of ticket sales.

This was CAB’s first official fall concert outside of previously putting on various homecoming events in past years. The last concert CAB hosted was the spring concert in April 2022 with a performance from Yung Gravy, which took place at the fieldhouse on the Grand Valley State University Allendale campus.

lovelytheband was originally formed in 2016 and consists of three members: lead singer Mitchy Collins, drummer Sam Price and guitarist Jordan Greenwald. The group had its first hit in 2018 with their song “broken” topping the Billboard Alternative Songs hart for seven consecutive weeks and the Billboard Rock Airplay chart for nine consecutive weeks.

To read more of Arts and Entertainment editor Elizabeth Schanz’s coverage of this event, click here. 

Professional dance company performs and teaches at GV

As a part of the Grand Valley State University Arts Celebration, South Chicago Dance Theatre (SCDT), a professional dance company, performed their show titled “Energy | Power | Grace” at the Haas Center for Performing Arts.

In addition to her company’s performance, Executive Artistic Director of SCDT Kia Smith taught classes for the GVSU dance program students and hosted an audition for spots in her company.

Smith began her dance career at age 16, later than most professionals do. She said ever since she was a kid, she was drawn to dance and knew she wanted to have a dance company.

To read more of Allison Bair’s coverage of SCDT, click here.