George Eberhardt III isn’t just an artist, he’s an educator.
Of course, the two go hand-in-hand. His love of making art, especially large-scale murals and live art created in public spaces, is passed onto his students at the West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology (WMCAT), where Eberhardt has been teaching since 2008.
We asked Eberhardt to talk about this passion of his, and what he’s been working on lately.
How did your journey as an artist begin, and lead to where you are now?
My journey as an artist started in high school. I was heavily encouraged by my parents and art teacher (Dana Bowersox) to enter the scholastic art awards. After being awarded the silver key and seeing peoples’ positive reaction to my art, I started to develop more of an interest in doing art as my career. After I graduated high school, I was accepted to both CCS (College for creative studies) and Kendall College of Art and Design. Following my first year at CCS, I decided to move to West Michigan and go to Kendall for Digital Illustration.
Later, I started to work as an art teacher at a nonprofit organization called WMCAT. With my first few years at WMCAT, I made efforts to connect with the art community in Grand Rapids, having art shows and forming different art collectives with friends from college. My most successful and impactful experience as an artist was winning the Grand Rapids Art battle with Reuben Garcia and Scott Wigmans. The following year, Scott and I won the art battle in Detroit. Our success at these events showed me that I had a future in creating large scale public art, so I started to train myself in making live art at music events and learning how to paint murals.
I have been on this career path since 2010. In Artprize 2016, I painted a mural for a collaborative project called the “Cultura Collective.” We won in 2 categories. That was the moment I knew painting murals was for me.
What imagery and themes inspire you?
I am inspired by the challenge to create impactful and thought provoking work, I really enjoy working with the human figure. I also enjoy making art that has a double meaning.
When it comes to your art, what do you hope the viewer comes away with?
When viewing my art, I hope people take the time to see that with each project, my skills grow and my artistic style is always evolving and developing. The most important thing to me is that when people see my work, they feel something—joy, curiosity, passion, excitement!
Tell us about your time as an art educator! What do you enjoy about it?
I started working at WMCAT in 2008 as the digital art teacher’s assistant. By 2010, I was the lead instructor for the digital arts program at WMCAT. With my time as an art teacher, I wanted to focus my attention on nurturing and developing the creativity of my students and showing them that the art they like is relevant and important, while also teaching traditional and practical skills that will help develop their own style and boost creative confidence.
My time as an educator has been very fulfilling and exciting. Working with young people and seeing them tap into their creative power and overcome creative challenges and develop life skills and connections with their peers has been very uplifting for me as an artist.
What have you done recently (or are working on now) that you’re proud of, and why?
I am currently working on a mural project for the city of Alpena. This project is a partnership with the Fresh Waves Mural Project 2024, and The Sunset Project. The mural is for a local business called Clems Bait and Tackle. This shop has been a part of Alpena for 30 plus years, and the community is extremely excited to see the mural transform their neighborhood.
What are you looking forward to doing (or aspiring toward) in the future?
In the future, I look forward to getting more high profile murals in the Downtown area of Grand Rapids. I am currently developing programs for WMCAT students to paint murals in all of the GRPS high schools as well. Lastly, I am looking to expand my network and work mural festivals around Michigan, and learn more from my fellow mural community.
Do you feel like Grand Rapids is a good place to be an artist?
I feel like Grand Rapids provides a lot of opportunities for people to get involved in a wide variety of art. Those opportunities help give the people of Grand Rapids and West Michigan a creative outlet, so I feel like that’s very positive.
Where can people see your art?
My work can be seen:
- On my Instagram @the_third_ge
- Love Supreme Dispensary GR
- Dwelling Place Historical Mural Project
- Ah-Nab-Awen Park
- 555 Monroe Riverwalk area
- Grammatones Store
- Kula Yoga
- Gerald R Ford International Airport
- Clems Bait and Tackle in Alpena
