Visual and Media Arts students to showcase capstone work through various exhibitions 

Starting Monday, Nov. 26, visual and media art students have the opportunity to showcase their work to faculty, staff and students. Approximately 20 students from the Visual and Media Arts Department will display their work that represent and reflect on their educational experiences at Grand Valley State University. 

Several of the exhibits will include creations on graphic design, metals, as well as photography, illustration and visual studies. There will be five exhibits overall and each one will contain work from at least two students. 

Those interested can find the senior displays in the GVSU Art Gallery in the Thomas J. Haas and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, the Padnos Student Visual and Media Arts Gallery located in the Calder Arts Center, as well as The Nomad Galleries located on 74 Monroe Center Northwest, Grand Rapids and Spiral Gallery located 44 Division Ave. South, Grand Rapids. The exhibits will be on display from Nov. 26 and will continue through Dec. 7.

Seasonal concert preview: Fall Arts Celebration to honor “The Many Moods of Christmas”

On Monday, Dec. 3 beginning at 7:30 p.m., conductor Craig Jessop will direct the Grand Valley State University Chorale and local high schools as they perform a seasonal concert to welcome this Christmas season. 

Jessop specializes in teaching music, and he is the founding dean of Cain College of the Arts at Utah State University. He is also known for leading the ensemble as a featured conductor during the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics located in Salt Lake City.

The concert will take place at the Fountain Street Church located in downtown Grand Rapids and will include Robert Shaw’s “The Many Moods of Christmas.” This collection of music includes 18 pieces of the most traditional Christmas carols from composers such as Handel, Bizet and Bach. 

The concert welcomes audiences of all ages being free and open to the public. For more information, visit gvsu.edu/fallarts.

Arts at Noon Series: Brass Holiday

On Wednesday, Nov. 28, as part of the Arts at Noon series, the Grand Valley State University Brass Quintet will conduct the Annual Holiday Concert. The concert featuring the Quintet is known to be among one of the most popular music events of the year for GVSU. 

The Quintet is comprised by faculty members within the Department of Music including Alex Wilson (trumpet), Richard Britsch (horn), as well as Mark Williams (trombone), Paul Carlson (tuba) and visiting performer Paul Hardaker (trumpet). The ensemble will include outreach concerts, master classes and coaching sessions for local high school students participating. 

The event will take place in the Cook DeWitt Center Auditorium located on the Allendale campus. The event is free and open to the public, and guests are highly recommended to get there early to reserve a seat. 

Fall Dance Concert

The Grand Valley State University Dance Company and the Freshman Dance Company will host the Fall Dance Concert on Saturday, Dec. 1 and will continue through Sunday, Dec. 2. The event will be composed of a diverse collection of works performed by students within the program. 

The concert will take place in Haas Center for Performing Arts in the Louis Armstrong Theatre and is free and open to the public. 

If students, faculty or staff can’t make this weekend’s concert, there will be a Fall Senior Dance Concert on Friday, Dec. 7. This event will showcase new works created by students for their capstone projects.