During ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, Art is everywhere. It’s in the public parks and community space and in shop windows. It’s almost harder to avoid Art.
But now ArtPrize is over and the Art is gone. So where do we go when we have that craving for a little culture?
Coffee Shops and Restaurants
Grand Rapids food and beverage establishments have a great habit of showing Art all year round. Be sure to take a look around the next time you go to get a cup of coffee.
Galleries
Because of ArtPrize, we’ve got a growing number of Art galleries in the area. Galleries are free of charge and don’t require a purchase to look around. A lot of them have special openings. You can check out things like Avenue for the Arts too. They organize First Friday gallery hops and other events during the year centered around Art.
Museums
If you’re looking in Grand Rapids, we’ve got the Urban Institute of Contemporary Art, the Grand Rapids Art Museum and the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. The UICA always has a great selection of independent films on tap. The GRAM is free every Tuesday and the Meijer Gardens not only has expansive grounds filled with interesting wildlife and plant life, they also have a world class collection of sculptural Art and fantastic exhibits.
If you want to head outside of Grand Rapids, many of the surrounding cities have small museums and Arts organizations. If you want big, world class Art museums, the Detroit Institute of Art has a huge collection, as does the Art Institute of Chicago. Both are just a few hours drive from Grand Rapids and the entry fee is well worth it if you’ve got the whole day and a comfortable pair of shoes.
(Pictured is “I, You, She or He…” by Jaume Plensa which is part of the collection at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park)
Art For The Everyman 