A friend on social media recently indicated that dating in Grand Rapids is an unhappy prospect because there’s a pretty good chance you’ll run into an ex. Indeed, everyone seems to know everyone, which is why I was surprised that I hadn’t met Keemo. Soon after my first encounter with Keemo’s art I purchased one of his mixed-media works, a stylized portrait in his signature red, turquoise, lime and cadmium yellow — with an enigmatic morsel of text framed within the face.

Salvador Jiménez-Flores says his work is inspired by his multiculturalism and the need to communicate — two pivotal aspects of the artist’s life. Since moving to the United States in 2000 from Jalisco, Mexico he has created several socially-conscious installations as well as studio-based and public art. His work can be seen at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, Casa De La Cultura in Texas, Koehnline Museum of Art in Illinois, and locally at the Grand Rapids Art Museum and the Urban Institute for Contemporary Art.

Gallery-goers this month have an opportunity to once again engage with one of Grand Rapids’ most contemporary, vital and forward-looking art collectives as the DAAC takes over The Fed Galleries at KCAD.

Kinky Boots seems to have it all. It’s got Broadway dazzle with a modern edge, joyous drag queens and outrageous footwear — it also champions a message of hope and acceptance.

The production, a six-time Tony Award-winner, centers on protagonist Charlie Price as he inherits a floundering shoe factory after his father’s death. The cause seems hopeless until Charlie runs into drag queen Lola and her glamorous backup troupe, the Angels. The queens introduce Charlie to the niche market of drag boots and create a fabulous new line.