Exhibitions

Into the Woods: Journey of Loss and Relationships

June 21- August 11
Lievense Gallery

Come and see artist, Gloria Kirk-Hanna's "Into the Woods: A Journey of Loss and Relationships." Kirk-Hanna will be showing her ethereal extreme fiber pieces from June 21- August 11 in Lievense Gallery.

Tiempo de Mariposas-
Celebrating the Mexican Tradition of the Quinceanera

May 25-July 16
Opening Reception featuring live music and models, an artist's talk and refreshments: Friday, May 25th 6-8 pm
Armstrong Gallery

Primarily a Mexican tradition, quinceaneras are elaborate parties thrown in celebration of a girl becoming a woman at the age of 15. Borrowed quinceanera gowns will be on display in the Arts Council's galleries, as well as the photography of prolific Grand Rapids artist Roli Mancera.

Mancera is well-known for his celebration of Mexican culture in large scale murals, performance art, alter installations for the Dia Los Muretos, sculpture and more. Mancera brings his artist's eye to family portraiture, elevating the task to say much more. This exhibition displays his dramatic photography celebrating special family moments, specifically quinceaneras.

This exhibit is sponsored, in part, by Ketzi and Doug Zylstra

Great Lakes Pastel Society Members Juried National Show

May 18-July 7
Opening Reception: Friday, May 25th, 6-8 pm
Padnos Gallery

The popular Great Lakes Pastel Society Juried Exhibition returns to the Padnos Gallery this year opening on May 25th with a reception and awards from 6-8 pm. This national show displays the work of 57 top shelf pastelists from across the nation with Nancie King Mertz serving as juror.

Some history: In 1997, five pastel artists met in Grand Rapids with the idea of creating an organization to promote the pastel medium. After becoming a nonprofit and a member of the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS), they hosted their first exhibit at the Grand Valley Artists gallery in November of 1997. Each member brought a painting to the show and Master Pastelist Larry Blovits critiqued each painting. From this start in 1997, the Great Lakes Pastel Society has grown to over 200 members in 12 states and host annual exhibitions around the region.

For more information on the Great Lakes Pastel society, visit them online at greatlakespastelsociety.org.

About the Juror: Sara Alsum-Wassenaar grew up in Holland and is a Visiting Assistant Professor in multimedia design at Hope College. She received her MFA in New Media at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her artwork utilizes traditional craft methods to uncover relationships between the built environment and the handmade. Sara was selected to conduct programming at the MDW Fair in Chicago and at the CAA Conference in New York City. In addition, her work has been published in Plot magazine and the Pro Rege journal.