Our Story

Fifty-four years ago a group of arts advocates saw an opportunity in Holland. The community was growing and the arts were beginning to take their hold in West Michigan, but local artists and designers were missing a support system. This group of artists – painters, musicians, dancers and designers -- met to create an organization that would meet that need. From that beginning in 1967, the Holland Area Arts Council has supported local arts initiatives, organized exhibitions and provided arts education for the Lakeshore area residents and visitors.

Visit the Holland Area Arts Council today and you will be surrounded by art: paintings and sculptures lining the gallery walls, rehearsal rooms echoing with the sound of music, and dance and art studios bursting with creativity you can feel. You’ll also find staff and volunteers working to further the Arts Council’s mission “to educate, engage and challenge the community through the arts.”

The Arts Council is a building where kids, grownups, families and artists of all ages come to experience art. It’s also a group of people who are constantly working to spark imagination in our community: always-changing exhibitions, a variety of classes, camps and workshops for all ages, arts and music events, public art projects and arts resources.
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Our Staff

Lori Gramer
Executive Director
​director@hollandarts.org
Regranting Coordinator Region 4A
​bluemoonconnections@yahoo.com
Mary Sundstrom
Exhibits Director
​mary@hollandarts.org
Carol Vredeveld
Business Manager
business@hollandarts.org
Sandie Coffman
Art for All Program Leader​
art4all@hollandarts.org
Mary Wolter
Ceramics Studio Manager & Instructor
​ceramics@hollandarts.org
​Kailey Schroeder
Operations Director
kailey@hollandarts.org
helpdesk@hollandarts.org
Tom Reverman
Education Director
​education@hollandarts.org
Jen Doornbos
Program Coordinator
social@hollandarts.org
Sara Eastwood
Program Coordinator
social@hollandarts.org
Eileen LaMore
Ceramics Studio Assistant
​ceramics2@hollandarts.org

Our Board of Directors

Denise Nestel
President
Licensed Attorney. Former Park Township Trustee and Director on MACC's Community Enhancement Program. Currently volunteers with Mediation Services of Ottawa, Allegan, and Barry Counties, and involved in various animal welfare organizations.

Dean Achterhof
Vice President
Dean Achterhof serves as Arts Council Board Vice President. He is a retired engineer with an artistic flair for ceramics. A longtime Arts Council volunteer and arts supporter, Dean can regularly be found in the galleries helping hang new exhibitions. Dean is a Holland native, and West Ottawa High School alum. He graduated from Aquinas College with a Bachelors in Business Administration.

Jon Spoelhof
Treasurer
Development with TMI Compressed Air Systems, Board of Directors at Living Hope, Boys and Girls Club, Assistant Soccer Coach Holland Christian Schools 

Carol Vredeveld
Secretary
International Financial Analyst for Herman Miller, supporting the international organization by coordinating and reviewing Total International consolidations of financial results, forecasts and plans. She has high level of analytical review of current reporting processes to ensure the monthly results are clearly communicated. She serves as Latin America liaison providing support, training and coaching.
Heidi Kraus
Dr. Heidi Kraus is Associate Professor of Art and Art History and the Director of The De Pree Galley at Hope College, specializing in art from the Early Modern through Contemporary periods.  Her current teaching and research focuses on eighteenth-and nineteenth-century iconography in contemporary French visual culture

Ann Whitmore
Masters in Art Education Degree from Eastern Michigan University and was a Public School K - 12 Art educator for 27 years.  As an art teacher, Ann was responsible for writing, developing, and implementing the first  K - 12 district-wide art curriculum for Huron Valley Public Schools.  Now in retirement, she is a full-time West Michigan Artist. ​

John Diaz
BFA in ceramics from The University of New Mexico, and an MFA in sculpture from The University of Illinois at Chicago. While still actively engaged in creating and teaching ceramics, he developed a nearly 40-year career in graphic design and marketing as an art director and creative director in Chicago.

Heather Roden
Heather Roden is the Travel and Event Specialist for Haworth Inc. and assists with operations at Juniper LLC, a family-owned business that works to help people with physical and mental limitations find employment.