In an age when you can find images of everything from the most ancient sculptures to the most groundbreaking new art online, there’s still nothing quite like seeing art in person.
Fortunately, West Michigan has a vibrant array of galleries where you stroll, stare… and maybe pick out something to take home.
ArtRat Gallery is one of the newer ones in town, but they’ve wasted no time making a splash. Run by local artist Nancy Tobin (who grew up in Grand Rapids but has worked and exhibited all across the country), ArtRat is a working studio and gallery space, also hosting community events and selling art supplies and apparel. Stop in during ArtPrize to see 13 excellent artists across a variety of media.
For 47 years, Eastown’s Gallery 154 has offered what it calls “unpredictable gifts.” Wander through and you could find just about anything: a fountain whose water flows from a metal teapot; “Sprocket Ball,” which, as its name suggests, is a big ball made of sprockets; vintage posters of Michigan and its environs; and Susan Logie’s soft, gorgeous paintings of buildings and bedrooms.
Since 2003, the DAAC has been a space where art and music collide. A non-profit collective, the DAAC believes in helping artists transition from DIY to DIT: from do-it-yourself to do-it-together. Wander its gallery to see fresh, innovative, and powerful works by artists living in the same community you do.
For four decades, LaFontsee Galleries has featured bold, accomplished, and moving art. The individual visions of over seventy artists are on display. Among the most astonishing are David Huang’s Relics sculptures. Made of fine metals, they feel like they live in the space where ancient myth meets science fiction future. And the gallery offers many treasures besides.
The Arts Marketplace at Studio Park mission is to remove barriers for women and minority-owned businesses. It encompasses fashion, furniture, art, food, and more. Vendors change frequently, helping provide a continued sense of newness. Walk in open to what you experience and you’re sure to find something you’ll love.
Award-winning jewelry designer and instructor Julie Sandford’s Studio JSD is the perfect place to find jewelry made with an artist’s eye, from pendants, rings, necklaces, and more. Not only can you find the perfect accent to complete your look, you can sign up for classes to learn to make jewelry, too. And buying supplies? You already know: Studio JSD’s got ‘em.
Grand Rapids Community College’s Collins Art Gallery brings together works by local artists, visiting artists, faculty, and students. You might already be familiar with it from ArtPrizes past; who could forget Christy Lee Rogers’ painting “Muses,” with its masterful grasp of light and form? But the gallery offers reason after reason to stop by any time of the year.
The tote bag sold by Lions and Rabbits says “Support Local Artists.” It’s no empty slogan for the organization, which has made a noticeable impact on the community, including through its Michigan St. After Dark events; this year, the event featured not only art but music, magicians, acrobats, and more. Missed it? Don’t worry: there’s plenty of magic to be found at the gallery itself.
Want to rent a gallery? Muse GR would be happy to host your event. You can get a sense of the space on their website, which offers a virtual tour. Walk online amongst Lowell Reynolds’s portraits of women, with their defined lines and bright bursts of color. Find something you love? Put it in your cart—prices are available on the site.
Cocoon Art Space puts the spotlight on Michigan artists. Tedd Smith’s exhibition Banned and Censored, running through September 8th, pairs art with banned books, but it’s just one of many exhibitions put on by the gallery. In addition to art, Cocoon serves as a gathering space where artists can create together. Lose yourself in the art on display, attend an event, or (new!) buy a plant.
Kendall Art and Design, or KCAD, offers not just one but four galleries: Spark Gallery, a street-level space displaying work from students, faculty, and other artists; FLEXGallery, which in addition to fine art includes design programming; Gallery 602, which features work exclusively from current graduate students and recent alumni; and Art[ery], which features a rotating gallery of student work.
Guests to St. Cecilia Music Center, or art lovers generally, should make sure to check out Terryberry Gallery. Found in the building’s lower level, it serves both as an attractive event space and a way to showcase the work of area artists, including landscape artists and photographers.
Of course, it would be a crime to leave off Grand Rapids Art Museum. Its well-curated exhibitions and permanent collection include art created over a broad range of time, in a wide range of mediums and styles, by a diverse collection of individual artists. Whether attending a new exhibition or wandering among its permanent pieces, you’re sure to find something that stops your soul in its tracks.
Grand Rapids may be Beer City, USA, but art is just as important to the heart of the city. Residents and visitors alike have any number of incredible galleries to choose from, where they can marvel at art that crossed centuries to reach them alongside art so fresh the paint has barely dried.
