DAAC @ The Fed
The Fed Galleries at KCAD
Woodbridge N. Ferris Building, 17 Pearl St NW, Grand Rapids
June 17-25
Open to the Public
kcad.edu/events/daac-the-fed
616-451-2787
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.
DAAC (Division Avenue Arts Collective) gets its name from its former venue, 115 S. Division Ave., where for just under a decade the all-volunteer-run collective hosted innumerable exhibitions, concerts and fundraisers – all in an all-ages, alcohol free environment. In 2013 a $7 million redevelopment project in the blighted Heartside neighborhood forced it out.
While the DAAC is still searching for a new physical venue – its mission and activity remains as strong as ever. Some of the events related to or co-sponsored by DAAC include: Light, SASS Fest, GR Zine Fest, GR Feminist Film Festival, Avenue for the Arts, and Art.Downtown.
Emphasizing DIT (Do-It-Together) Art where everyone has something to contribute, DAAC encouraged people to get involved creatively, leading to more engaged citizens and positive change.
True to the experimental nature of DAAC, the Fed show is part artist residency, part exhibition and will explore and challenge what can happen in a gallery space. It will look at the history and culture of the DAAC through a series of events, workshops and public discussions.
Viewers can expect to see old show flyers, a collection of works by DAAC artists, a recording studio in collaboration with Lamp Light Music Festival, a Free Store and a Zine Library/Reading Room in conjunction with Bandit Zine & GR Zine Fest. (Note: Zines are small-circulation, self-published magazines).
Locals can help the DAAC and its mission for a new home by making a tax-deductible donation through their Fractured Atlas profile or find ways to get involved on the DAAC website: thedaac.org.
OTHER VISUAL ART EVENTS
AFRICA!
LowellArts! King Gallery
149 South Hudson Street, Lowell
June 2–August 15
lowellartsmi.org, 616-897-8545
An African theme unites the work of four artists in this group show which includes safari photographs by Robert E. Lee, mixed media art by Gary Eldridge, Nancy Clouse illustrations based on an African legend, and the hyper-realistic, often life-sized, papier-mâché sculpture animals of Lori Hough.
Singing with Sculptures:
A Kids’ Tram Tour
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
1000 East Beltline Ave NE, Grand Rapids
June 16–Sept 5.
$3 adults, $1 children
meijergardens.org, 616-957-1580
Meijer Gardens’ impressive 30-acre Sculpture Park includes more than 180 works by such luminaries as Rodin, Moore, Haring, Oldenburg, Serra, Goldsworthy, Bourgeois, Gormley and Kapoor. This summer, hop aboard the tram for a fun, interactive experience where kids learn about art while singing, rhyming and rapping to familiar tunes.
The Cosmic Psyche:
Sheila Grant Acrylic Paintings
The Design Gallery at Design Quest
4181 28th St SE, Grand Rapids
July 17–August 30 (Reception July 30, 6–8 p.m.)
designquest.biz, 616-944-3232
In the abstract-expressionist tradition, Sheila Grant’s vibrant, viscous “nonrepresentational” images seem to be her innermost raw emotions poured directly onto canvas, laid bare in the form of paint. Exploring binaries of harmony/disharmony and inwardness/outwardness, flatness/depth her imagery brings to mind storms, firing synapses and the cosmos.
