Although it’s one of the oldest bars in the city, Grand Rapids’ Kuzzins Lounge has really cranked up the volume over the past six months.

When the robots inevitably become sentient, walking about with our day jobs, tossing back cold motor oil at the bar after a long shift, will they sing for each other? Will they plug in an old jukebox, croon Sinatra on a Saturday night and wonder why humanity ever felt so blue? I sure hope so, but for now, all we have is ourselves and our karaoke machines to entertain one another with the magic of song. 

Olivia Mainville was not brought up in a musical family, per se. Her parents love music and listen to it constantly — her father even collects instruments. But as far as playing any of those instruments goes, that’s another story entirely.

Ten years ago, David Abbott had moved back to his hometown of Grand Rapids, unsure of what to do next. He began work at ArtPrize, which slowly but surely led him on the path to April of 2018, when he became the first-ever executive director of Festival of the Arts. In conversation, it’s immediately clear that Abbott is passionate about his community and the festival itself.