The Grand Rapids Public Museum begins 2018 Concerts Under the Stars on Jan. 18 hosting local band hi-ker for a fully immersive audio and visual experience in the Chaffee Planetarium.
hi-ker will feature experimental synth and post new wave bizarro pop. Visitors can sit back and experience the wonder of the cosmos and the wonder of music. Live concerts will be held through April with five concerts total featuring pop, jazz, folk and rock sounds.
hi-ker is composed of Spencer Gordon, Chris Ryan and Kohl Sprader, and their newest album titled “Lippe” was self-released on Dec. 1. In the new album, the band explores a more sample and synth-based sound compared to their previous works. With influences ranging from Talking Heads and Animal Collective to Aphex Twin, hi-ker is trying out new sounds that will be sure to keep your attention.
The January concert will also feature visuals by Nate Eizenga. Nate is a Grand Rapids native who moonlights as video artist, focusing on accompaniment for live musical performances. By using controllers intended for digital music production to create, mix and manipulate video in real time he crafts a visual experience that toes the line between artistic spontaneity and musical synchronicity. Since his first public show in 2015 Nate has performed for numerous events, including Concerts Under the Stars 2017.
Concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments, beer and other beverages will be available for purchase.
Tickets are $10 for GRPM members, $12 for non-members if purchased in advance, and $15 for non-members on the day of the concert. Tickets are currently on sale at grpm.org, by calling 616.929.1700 or at the Museum’s front desk.
The 2018 Concerts Under the Stars Series will continue on Feb. 8 with jazz from Edye Evans Hyde, March 1, with one-woman-band Jes Kramer, March 22, with alternative folk by Dan Rickabus, and will close on April 12 with the alternative rock sounds of Major Murphy.
Electric Bike Place (powered by MACkite Board Sports Center) makes a return for the 2018 Grand Rapids Camper, Travel & RV Show displaying electric bikes and electric skateboards. The show is set for Jan. 18 – 21.
This year, Electric Bike Place is simplifying its design by focusing on two out of the eight bike brands: Raleigh and Haibike. Raleigh focuses on creating functional bikes with fun designs and moderate price points. Haibike focuses on creating bikes that let riders perform and their peak, featuring full suspension, fat tire, and hardtail bikes. Electric Bike Place will have one bike for display and the other for guests to ride stationary.
Evolve Bamboo One Electric Skateboard
Electric skateboards will also be available. This year, Electric Bike Place will be showing the Evolve GTX Street and All-Terrain electric skateboards. These are the latest design from Evolve, traveling upwards of 22 to 25 miles per hour and having a range of 18 miles. Electric Bike Place is the only Evolve Skateboard dealer in Michigan.
The 2018 Grand Rapids Camper, Travel & RV Show hours are 3 – 9:30 p.m. Thursday, noon – 9:30 p.m.Friday, 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. 5 p.m. Sunday. The event is being held at the DeVos Place. For more on the show, visit www.showspan.com.
Electric Bike Place is an ebike company based in Grand Haven and is an authorized dealer for Pedego, Focus, Kalkhoff, Faraday, Haibike, Stromer, ProdecoTech, and iZip electric bikes. Electric Bike Place focuses on ebike education, sales, service, and rentals. Electric Bike Place is powered by MACkite, a kiteboarding, snowboard, ski, stand up paddleboard (SUP), and ebike retail store that has been in business for more 30 years. For more one Electric Bike Place, visit www.electricbikeplace.com.
By Lisa Boss, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch
How would you experience the world if you were N’Lili, with multiple personalities — all of whom are young girls, though N’Lili herself is a physically large, tattooed male? What kind of teenager would plan very carefully to kill a young boy in a bizarre way, while making almost no attempt to disguise his guilt? How does someone go from being a suicidal heroin addict, labeled a hopeless schizophrenic at one point, to being a good wife, a gentle mom and a successful university professor?
These are the types of questions Antonetta raises in A Mind Apart, an extremely readable book which draws on a number of disciplines and sources to delve into the conundrum of human consciousness, especially the minds that seem alien to us. A great book for anyone who loves poetry and philosophy with their neuroscience.
Learn the essentials of skiing and snowboarding with the professional snowsports instructors at Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville, all while saving during National Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in January, take advantage of special offers on lift tickets, rentals, and lessons.
All Seasons Hotel and Resort is conveniently located on your way to everything in northwest Michigan. Situated in the village of Kalkaska on US-131 at the junction of M-72, guests can ride their snowmobiles from the large parking lot directly to the trailheads for hundreds of miles of trail access. This great location is 30 miles north of Cadillac, 30 miles south of Boyne City, and 23 miles west of 1-75, making All Seasons the ideal location for snow skiing.
You’re invited to experience Black Star Farms Suttons Bay in its winter splendor. Explore their easy to moderate trails, then warm up with a glass of mulled wine and a hearty bowl of chili on their terrace patio. Round out your excursion with a tasting featuring award-winning wines, ciders, and spirits. This is your chance to take in the woods, orchards, and vineyards on their iconic estate while it’s beautifully blanketed in snow.
Evergreen Resort in Cadillac is the perfect locale for your ultimate Northern Michigan winter adventure. Located along a Lake Michigan snow belt, Evergreen Resort has everything you need for a fun-filled winter escape. You’ll have access to more than 200 miles of snowmobile trails, 100 miles of cross country ski trails, and trails for snowshoeing and downhill skiing.
Coyote Cup Youth Race at Coyote Crossing Resort
The 7th Annual Coyote Cup Youth Race at Coyote Crossing Resort in Cadillac is Saturday, Jan. 13. The event is open to racers 12 & under. These young snowmobile racers will enjoy an oval style track, as they race in five age groups across three categories.
Do you like to snowshoe in serene natural areas but enjoy a bit of friendly competition? Strap on your snowshoes and run through the beautiful snow-covered Grass River Natural Area in Bellaire on Saturday, Jan.13, as part of a fundraiser for their programs. This snowshoe race in northern Michigan is only a short distance from Traverse City. A prize is awarded to overall male and female 5K and 10K winners.
Conveniently located in Bellaire, just 31 miles northeast of Traverse City, the 4,500-acre Shanty Creek Resorts offers a variety of winter experiences for the entire family. The three distinct villages within the resort, Summit, Schuss, and Cedar River, offer everything from downhill to cross country skiing, multiple terrain parks, a multi-lane alpine tubing park, dog sledding, and more. With more than 180 inches of snowfall annually, snow-lovers can’t get enough of Shanty Creek. This winter, Shanty Creek Resorts’ Schuss Mountain will celebrate its golden anniversary. Opened on December 22nd, 1967, Schuss Mountain will celebrate its 50th anniversary with specials and events throughout the snowy season.
The barrel bar at Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery
This year, enjoy winter fun with the Old Mission Snowshoe Wine & Brew, Michigan’s only organized wine and snowshoe outing. Spend Sunday afternoons from Jan. 7 to March 11 with family and friends, taking in the sights and sounds of Old Mission Peninsula coated with shimmering snow. Board a tour bus, and visit Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery. This family-owned boutique winery, situated on 91 acres with breathtaking views of East Grand Traverse Bay, produces small batch wines including some of the most sought after red wines on the peninsula. Tickets are $28 per person, and include parking and shuttle service along with five samples at each stop, and various discounts for additional purchases.
Located in downtown Charlevoix, Pointes North Inn is a condo-hotel that is the perfect home base for your next up north excursion. Nearby, you can take a cross country ski trip, go on a dog sled adventure, take ski and snowboard lessons, and ride on a horse drawn sleigh. There are many more winter activities that await you, so carve your own path and plan your trip up north!
The Charlevoix area is a winter paradise. With lots of fresh snow falling weekly, there are lots of great outdoor recreation opportunities for everyone. Spend a day snowshoeing or cross-country skiing at one of the many nature preserves, then head over to Boyne Mountain, in Boyne Falls, for a variety of family friendly activities and challenging ski slopes. Winter is a great time to get outside and explore Michigan’s natural beauty.
Snow sports are a specialty in Sault Ste. Marie. Ice skate in one of the four rinks, or go downhill skiing, snowboarding, tubing, and sledding. There are miles of snowmobile and non-motorized trails around Sault Ste. Marie and the surrounding areas. You can even take your snowmobile downtown by following a designated trail. If you’re into cross-country skiing, there are trails throughout the area.
More Snow Sports & Activities in Northern West Michigan
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
This single actor tour de force reveals the deeply personal and artistic sides of Russia’s most famous playwright, Anton Chekhov. The play begins with the dramatist immediately following the failure of his early masterpiece “The Seagull” (1895) and concludes with the success of “The Cherry Orchard” (1903).
Written by Karen Sunde, this semi-documentary drama skillfully captures the soul and the spirit of this giant of the modern stage struggling with his literary identity, with the opinions of an often-hostile public, and with the challenges of pursuing romance and serving as head of a family.
The one-man show will be performed by Roger Ellis, professor of theater at Grand Valley State University.
What: ‘Anton, Himself: First and Last’
When: Jan. 19 and 20, at 7:30 pm, Jan. 21, at 2 pm
Where: Linn Maxwell Keller Black Box Theatre, Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
Tickets: $12 for adults; $10 seniors and GVSU faculty, staff, alumni; $6 for students, groups — purchase tickets through the Louis Armstrong Theatre box office in-person Monday-Friday from 10 am-5 pm, by calling 616.331.2300, or online at startickets.com
Timber Ridge Ski Area in Gobles has been giving families an opportunity to have some fun and make wonderful memories together since 1961. With over 40 acres of skiable terrain, Timber Ridge offers the easy runs for beginners and more difficult ones for experts. They offer lessons for any skill level, from ages 5 to 95! If you’re not into skiing or snowboarding, hit the tubing hill or relax in their lodge. Come on out and experience the family fun to be had at Timber Ridge!
Candlelit trails at Piece Cedar Creek.
Stop by the Pierce Cedar Creek Institute in Hastings on Saturday, Jan. 27, and enjoy an evening on candlelit trails while taking in the enchantment of a rare blue moon, a term for the second full moon of the month. Stargazing and storytelling also may be available if the weather is clear. After hiking the trails, warm up in the visitor center with a crackling fire, coffee, and hot chocolate.
The Wings West in Kalamazoo is hosting wintery-fun events. Open skate and hockey is available daily, with times scheduled throughout the week. If you’d rather watch hockey than play it, they’re hosting the Pucks & Pints: Hockey Game & Tap Takeover on Saturday, Jan. 13. Enjoy a 24-tap takeover, and watch as teams from two Michigan breweries duke it out on the ice. Be part of the action, or watch it from the stands at Wings Event Center!
The Marshall area is perfect for cross country skiing. There are two nature areas that are excellent for hiking, bird watching, cross country skiing, dog walking, and biking. Both are located in lovely wooded areas where wetland wildlife is just waiting to be explored. Acres of prairie and ancient trees will be a highlight to your experience.
With more than 100 lakes, including two chains of lakes, Coldwater Country offers countless opportunities for anglers. The frozen-over lakes offer an opportunity to get outside and breathe in the cold, clean air. Spend an afternoon outdoors with friends and family in the quest to catch fish, or join in the festivities and contests at the Quincy Tip-Up Festival. Need an incentive to drop a line this winter? Try it as part of the Free Fishing Weekend on February 17th and 18th. This annual weekend provides two days where no fishing license is required for residents or non-residents, although all fishing regulations still apply.
River Country is home to a family-oriented ski resort with a snow sports learning center, kids learn-to-ski program, and cafe for grab-and-go meals. Ski and snowboard lessons are available with trained instructors anytime the resort is open. They can teach skiing and snowboarding, or help advance a person’s skills with one-on-one lessons.
More Snow Sports & Activities in Southern West Michigan
The Muskegon Winter Sports Complex is a beautiful facility inside of Muskegon State Park, and is the center of Muskegon’s winter activities. This huge complex offers exciting events and outdoor sports facilities to the public, including one of only four publicly accessible luge tracks in the United States. Cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowboarding, and sledding are available on five miles of groomed track, day or night. Skis, snowshoes, ice skates, and sleds are available for rent.
Bill & Paul’s Sporthaus in Grand Rapids is hosting a female-focused event for intermediate and advanced level skiers on Friday, Feb. 23. The goal of the event is to improve your skiing, have a lot of fun, and make some new friends along the way.
Celebrate January in the crisp country air of Double JJ Resort in Rothbury. Have the time of your life as you race down the resort’s 660-foot tubing hill, or climb aboard one of the resort’s horse-drawn sleighs for a magical glide through the snowy woods. They have overnight stay packages through the winter, so that you will have a place nearby to warm up by the fire or in your jacuzzi. Double JJ Resort is an all-seasons destination.
Snow sports and activities are endless in Mecosta County. Soon, the City of Big Rapids will be opening a new ice rink for all to enjoy. A local farm offers sleigh rides, where you’ll enjoy a frosty ride through the woods before reaching a roaring bonfire. If you enjoy snowmobiling, the White Pine Trail is great for you, with many miles of trails for your convenience. Cran-Hill Ranch also offers a variety of winter activities, including ice climbing, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, tubing hills, broomball, and ice skating.
Lantern-lit Skiing and Snowshoeing in Ludington Skate Park
The Ludington area is hosting two series of events to help you enjoy some of the season’s favorite activities. Go on the Lantern-lit Skiing and Snowshoeing in Ludington Skate Park on Jan. 20 and Feb. 3 and 17. Bring cross-country skis or snowshoes and trek the one-mile groomed trail lit by oil lanterns. Park staff can help novice trekkers get started. The state park will also host Guided Snowshoe Hikes on Jan. 20 and 27 and Feb. 3, 10, and 17. Join an hour-and-a-half-long guided snowshoe hike highlighting the park’s nature and history through the park’s snow-covered sand dunes. The park has 40 pairs of snowshoes to loan for free on a first-come, first-served basis for visitors aged 10-years-old to adult.
The Mt. Pleasant area has everything you need for a winter experiencing the great outdoors. Their indoor ice arena provides public skating, hockey, figure skating, and more, with a pro shop for any and all gear you may need. On the northwest side of Mt. Pleasant, there is a 60-acre park, featuring a giant sledding hill! Grab your sled and have a blast.
More Snow Sports & Activities in Central West Michigan
Four hands on the piano. (photo by Masataka Suemitsu)
By WKTV Staff
St. Cecilia Music Center’s next Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center concert, scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 18 will feature Society co-artistic director Wu Han and five internationally acclaimed chamber musicians performing the works of Brahms and Dvořák — including selections from both Brahms’ and Dvořák’s “Piano for Four Hands” compositions with pianists Wu Han and Michael Brown playing together on one piano.
At the 7:30 p.m. concert Wu Han and Brown will be joined by violinists Chad Hoopes and Paul Huang, violist Matthew Lipman and cellist Dmitri Atapine. Tickets are still available.
The musical and personal friendship between Brahms and Dvořák is the stuff of legend, according to supplied information. Their pairing brings to life the creative energy that reverberated between the German neo-classicist (Brahms) and the champion of Czech folk music (Dvořák), producing a glowing array of classical music’s most essential works.
Wu Hann (Supplied)
“Brahms and Dvořák were great friends. Brahms helped bring Dvořák’s music to the forefront in 1878. Brahms, who was seven years older than Dvořák, mentored him and helped him to realize financial gain for his artistic works including some of the selections to be performed at the January 18 SCMC concert,” Wu Han said in supplied material. “Michael Brown and I will play Dvořák’s ‘Selected Slavonic Dances for Piano, Four Hands’, the works that brought Dvořák his first significant sum of money through Brahms efforts in introducing him to the esteemed Berlin publisher Fritz Simrock. We will also perform Brahm’s ‘Selected Hungarian Dances for Piano, Four Hands’, which was inspired by Brahms’ special affection for Gypsy Fiddlers and their music.
“These selections, as well as the two others to be performed — ‘Trio in C minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 101’ by Brahms, and ‘Trio in C minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 101’ by Dvořák were incredibly popular during those times (1868 – 1891).”
The concert will also likely introduce Brown, a rising star in chamber music circles, to the grand Rapids audience.
Michael Brown (Photo by Jamie Beck)
“The January 18 concert at SCMC will bring some new faces, introducing us to the next generation of chamber music stars,” Cathy Holbrook, St. Cecilia executive director, said in supplied material. “I’m especially looking forward to the pieces for four-hand piano that Wu Han and newcomer Michael Brown will be performing. It’s not often that you can experience two artists performing on one piano simultaneously in a chamber music performance, which makes this concert very special.”
Concert tickets are $38 and $43, and can be purchased by calling St. Cecilia Music Center at 616-459-2224 or visiting the box office at 24 Ransom Ave. NE. Tickets can also be purchased online at scmc.org .
A pre-concert wine and hors d’oeuvres event for $15 is available and begins at 6:30 p.m. (reservations for the pre-concert reception need to be made by Monday, Jan. 15.)
There will also be a pre-concert talk with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center artists in the Royce Auditorium to discuss the music selection for the evening and any other questions that pertain to the artists themselves. A post-concert party is open to all ticket-holders giving the audience the opportunity to meet the artists and obtain signed CDs of their releases.
The final 2017-18 season performance by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will take place April 19, with a performance including pianist Gilles Vonsattel, violinists Ida Kavafian and Erin Keefe, violist Yura Lee, cellist Nicholas Canellakis and clarinetist Tommaso Lonquich performing Mozart, Weber and Brahms.
The Grand Rapids Ballet has named James Sofranko, currently a featured solo dancer with the San Francisco Ballet and an advocate for contemporary dance and social causes, as its new artistic director.
Sofranko will officially join GRBallet on July 1, after his final production with the Bay Area dance company, and will replace Patricia Barker, who is leaving Grand Rapids to lead the Royal New Zealand Ballet.
James Sofranko. (by photo Andrew Weeks)
“I am very grateful for the opportunity to lead Grand Rapids Ballet into their next chapter,” Sogranko said in supplied material. “Upon my visits, I was impressed with the dancers, the board, the staff, and the city of Grand Rapids. The company works easily in both contemporary and classical styles, which makes them a natural fit for me. I’m excited to begin working to continue to bring great dance to the city of Grand Rapids, as well as to continue my growth as a choreographer.”
The naming of Sofranko comes after a nationwide search by the Grand Rapids Ballet Artistic Director Search Committee, led by co-chairs Dana Baldwin and Leah Voigt.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors, staff, and dancers of Grand Rapids Ballet, we are excited to welcome James Sofranko to Grand Rapids,” Baldwin and Voight stated in supplied information. “He is a true star and brings a passion for dance along with the sophistication, grace, and knowledge required for this leadership position. We expect great things as we move forward in an incredible new era of the Company’s history.”
Sofranko is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, received his dance training at The Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida, and The Juilliard School in New York City, where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, according to supplied information. Upon graduation in 2000, he joined San Francisco Ballet and was promoted to soloist in 2007.
He comes to West Michigan with a glowing recommendation from the leadership of the San Francisco Ballet.
“James is an intelligent, thoughtful, and versatile dancer who has dedicated so much to the company over the last 18 seasons,” San Francisco Ballet Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson. “He has also made a lasting impact on the Bay Area dance community through performances he has produced himself. With his vision, I have no doubt that he will bring Grand Rapids Ballet to new heights, and I wish him all the best on this exciting new chapter. We will miss him.”.
Sofranko’s last performance as a dancer with San Francisco Ballet will take place during the Company’s Unbound Festival in May. He will officially join Grand Rapids Ballet July 1.
Along with his duties to Grand Rapids Ballet, Sofranko will continue to develop SFDanceworks, currently presented in San Francisco each summer, and may continue his Dance For A Reason (DanceFAR) a dance event supporting cancer prevention, a cause Sofranko strongly believes in.
At GRBallet, Sofranko will be responsible for all artistic direction and artistic planning including programming and hiring of dancers and choreographers, production staff, touring, and outreach efforts.
He also plans to choreograph new works for Grand Rapids Ballet, as well as hire outside-the-company choreographers, so he will have an important role in development of 2018-2019 season programming, to be announced in early Spring 2018.
By Megan Adres, Grand Rapids Public Library, Seymour Branch
“I learned a lot that night,” Delia Hopkins remembers of a magic show her father held when she was young. “That people don’t vanish into thin air.”
Delia, a 32-year-old making her way in the world, uses her skills to find missing people with the help of her search-and-rescue bloodhound, Greta. One day, however, Delia has a flash of memory that she hardly understands. When the arrest of her father on kidnapping charges follows, Delia quickly finds herself overwhelmed.
With the help of a childhood friend turned reporter, Delia puts her life on hold, including her wedding, in order to prove her father’s innocence. Slowly Delia finds her father, Andrew, may not be as innocent as she believes. For 28 years Delia has lived one life. Yet her first four years add to the doubts surrounding her father.
Delia’s fiance, Eric, is a lawyer who agrees to take Andrew’s case. As the search for the truth begins, Delia and Eric battle through years of lies and deceit to find the truth that just may destroy the close relationship between father and daughter.
Jodi Picoult’s thirteenth book is sometimes heavy with drama but quickly engages readers. She focuses on the emotional impact of the case and lets readers wonder until the last moment who is guilty when both parents believe they were in the right. Vanishing Acts delivers all the drama, emotion, and plot twists of this year’s One Book, One County novel, My Sister’s Keeper and should hold readers in its grip long after the books ends.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Pianist Mika Sasaki has established herself as a sought-after soloist, chamber musician and emerging educator. Since her concerto debut with the Sinfonia of Cambridge in the United Kingdom at the age of 7, she has appeared twice with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and more recently with the 92Y Orchestra in New York City. She has performed at venues including the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Peter J. Sharp Theater, Palazzo Chigi Saracini (Italy), Minato Mirai Hall (Japan) and Tokyo Bunka Kaikan (Japan). Her solo debut album “Obsidian: Mika Sasaki plays Clara Schumann” was released on Yarlung Records in 2016.
What: Mika Sasaki, piano
When: Jan. 19, at 7:30 pm
Where: Sherman Van Solkema Hall (room 1325), Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
For more than 40 years, Herbert Murrie had a successful advertising and design career based in Chicago. However, because of his artistic upbringing and drive, he always returned to the studio in pursuit of a more spontaneous and freeing output.
In 1988, Murrie began painting more seriously and by the late 1990s, he was exhibiting regularly. Over the next 15 years, evidence of his freed state leapt off the canvas. Controlled manipulation of paint and color bore witness to his understanding of design, while his process of working intuitively noted elements of the artistic movements he grew up with in the mid-20th Century.
Like many artists, Murrie often steps away from his art and then returns to work on pieces in his studio that he feels are unfinished. This exhibition examines the ebb and flow of his creative process, while looking back at his painting career and forward to a new body of work. It includes 26 pieces that span his career as a painter — from 1995 to the present. They are drawn out of private collections and the Grand Valley State University permanent art collection, which includes 16 works that were donated by Herbert and Lisa Murrie in 2015.
What: ‘Ebb and Flow: Explorations in Painting by Herbert Murrie’ Exhibition
In her first novel, Kaye Gibbons tells the story of Ellen Foster, a strong, funny, and honest girl. Or rather, she lets Ellen tell us herself. Gibbons brilliantly plays her characters’ voices, allowing each to ring true. But Ellen’s voice is strongest of all as she tells us about her family, her friends, and her search for a place and a life she can call her own.
Ellen begins her story with her mother’s death and continues with the journey of her own life. It is indeed a journey; while Ellen moves from house to house and family to family,she begins to form her own traditions and ideas of how to survive in this world. She learns to take care of herself, to take care of her friends, and to decide for herself what is right and what is wrong.
Ellen’s story is gripping because she tells it so well. As she talks about living with different families, dealing with death, living with emotional abuse, and finding friends along the way, she convinces the reader to trust her and to be a part of her life. We come to feel sadness for a girl who must develop her own sense of who she is and where she stands in the world, as she gets little help from those around her.
Yet, we also trust Ellen because we can relate to her. We may not have had such tragic childhoods, nor had to address racism, alcoholism, abuse, and death at an early age, but we have all had to come to grips with these and other issues at some point. We may be five or ninety-five but, like Ellen, we will always be making choices about who we will be, what we will stand for, and with whom we will share our lives. Gibbons’ readers will learn something from Ellen, no matter who they are now and who they hope to become.
At the height of the Cold War in October 1957, the former Soviet Union sent Sputnik into orbit, the first shot in the race for space. Six months later, a lanky, 23-year-old Texan fired back on behalf of the United States.
In Moscow before a Russian audience, Van Cliburn gave dazzling performances of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 to win the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition.
Pianist Gabriela Montero (Photo by Shelley Mosman)
Cliburn returned home to a ticker-tape parade in New York City, a cover story in Time magazine and a recording contract from RCA Victor. Soon, his Grammy Award-winning recording of Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto became the first classical recording in the world to sell 1 million copies, helping the concerto become an all-time favorite among audiences.
In January, Grand Rapids Symphony returns to DeVos Performance Hall with an All-Tchaikovsky concert including the perennially popular piano concerto.
Music Director Marcelo Lehninger leads the orchestra in Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 and in the Polonaise from Tchaikovsky’s opera, Eugene Onegin, at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 12-13, in DeVos Performance Hall.
Guest pianist Gabriela Montero will be soloist in Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 for the fourth concerts of the 2017-18 Richard and Helen DeVos Classical series. Guest artist sponsor is the Edith I. Blodgett Guest Artist Fund.
The Latin Grammy Award-winning pianist and twice Grammy nominated artist, who performed at the inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2008, won the Bronze Medal at the 13th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1995.
A native of Caracas, Venezuela, Montero gave her first public performance at age 5. Three years later, she made her concert debut with the Simon Bolívar Youth Orchestra, earning a scholarship from the Venezuelan government to study in the United States. At age 12, she won the Baldwin National Competition and AMSA Young Artist International Piano Competition, leading to a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to her interpretations of classical masterworks, Montero is celebrated as a brilliant improviser, a skill that’s almost disappeared among contemporary classical pianists. A fearless barnstormer who often extemporizes on musical themes suggested by the audience, her improvisations astonish listeners for their craftsmanship and clarity as well as their complexity.
Montero began improvising at the piano at age 4. For many years, she kept her improvisational forays a secret. The world-famous Argentinian pianist Martha Argerich encouraged her to do it in public.
“At that point I made the decision,” Montero told the British newspaper The Independent in 2010. “I’m a classical artist and if the classical world shuns me because I improvise, then that’s a risk I have to take, because I have to show myself exactly as I am.”
Montero has been heard on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today” show, improvising on melodies called in by listeners. Montero also has been profiled on CBS TV’s “60 Minutes” in December 2006.
Her 2006 recording “Bach and Beyond” for EMI, a recording entirely of her improvisation on themes of J.S. Bach, held the top spot on the Billboard Classical Charts for several months. Two years later, her follow-up CD, “Baroque,” garnered a Grammy Award nomination.
Montero won the 2015 Latin Grammy Award for Best Classical Album for her debut recording as pianist performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, as composer of an original work, “Ex Patria,” and as an improviser.
Inside the Music, a free, pre-concert, multi-media presentation sponsored by BDO USA, will be held before each performance at 7 p.m. in the DeVos Place Recital Hall.
The complete All Tchaikovsky program will be rebroadcast on Sunday, April 8, 2018, at 1 p.m. on Blue Lake Public Radio 88.9 FM or 90.3 FM.
Tickets
Tickets start at $18 and are available at the GRS box office, weekdays 9 am-5 pm, at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100, (located across from the Calder Plaza), or by calling 616.454.9451 x 4. (Phone orders will be charged a $2 per ticket service fee, with a $12 maximum.)
Tickets are available at the DeVos Place ticket office, weekdays 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. or on the day of the concert beginning two hours prior to the performance. Tickets also may be purchased online at GRSymphony.org.
Full-time students of any age are able to purchase tickets for only $5 on the night of the concert by enrolling in the GRS Student Ticketsprogram, sponsored by Comerica and Calvin College. This is a MySymphony360 eligible concert.
Calvin College’s January Series of lectures, always an intellectual bright light in the often dark days of mid-winter in West Michigan, has never shied away important if not always pleasant topics and often bright national speakers to local audiences.
The 2018 edition is no different, with weighty topics discussed including poverty and racism, and speakers including a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, a New York Times best-selling author and a former technology adviser to the White House.
But Kristi Potter, director of the January Series, says there was a conscience effort this year to bring “positive and encouraging stories” to the college’s Covenant Fine Arts Center.
“This year as I reflected on what was happening in the news and what conversations would be good to have on the series in 2018, I felt a strong need to bring positive and encouraging stories,” Potter said in supplied material. “So as always, we will hear from speakers on a number of difficult topics like poverty, racism, pollution, restorative justice and dementia, but we will also hear stories of how we can make a difference in the world with our influence, our power, our money or even our mindset.”
From Wednesday, Jan. 3, through Tuesday, Jan. 23, attendees will hear 15 speakers who are leading voices in some of the nation’s — and world’s — most pivotal and timely discussions.
Among the featured presenters are Katherine Boo, a staff writer for The New Yorker whose work has been honored by a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant and Pulitzer Prize, and Jeremy McCarter, co-author of “Hamilton: The Revolution” and a person who witnessed the Broadway show’s journey from concept to cultural phenomenon.
Among the other notable, if possibly lesser known lecturers, are Kevin Olusola, who is best known as the beatboxing member of the Grammy-winning vocal quintet Pentatonix but has re-imagined the cello by mashing it together and the urban art of beatboxing into a new musical genre called cello-boxing. He will talk Wednesday, Jan. 17.
Shane ClairborneJohn Swinton
Also notable, if under-the-radar, lecturers are Shane Clairborne, who on Monday, Jan. 8, will present a talk titled “Executing Grace: How the Death Penalty Killed Jesus and Why it is Killing Us; and John Swinton, who on Tuesday, Jan, 23, will present a talk titled “Still Waters Run Deep: Reimagining Dementia and Humanness”.
And, also as is the January Series overriding theme, spirituality plays a central role in many lectures.
“I think this year’s lineup reminds us to have hope that God is in control and there are good things happening in the world and good people leading this work,” Potter said. “And we can be a part of it.”
The series runs from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Covenant Fine Arts Center on Calvin’s campus. A repeat performance and conversation with Olusola will take place on Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. No tickets required for the day or one evening events (but they do fill up quickly, so do not be late).
Local author Nancy Sanderson has created a wonderful treasure with her book, Copper Country Postcards: A View of the Past from the Keweenaw Peninsula. The book features almost 300 postcards from Sanderson’s extensive personal collection. The book gives a glimpse of Copper Country in the first half of the twentieth century. A foreword by Peter Van Pelt gives a brief introduction to the region.
By the turn of the 20th century mines and mining towns were well established in Copper Country and many immigrants had settled in the area. The popularity of postcards boomed and captured many views of places, people and events. Many postcards were mailed to family and friends and others were kept in albums as mementos. Real photo postcards documented significant events of the era. Sanderson has included a brief history of the postcard and a helpful list of postcard publishers that printed views of the Keweenaw Peninsula.
The first three chapters document the mining industry of Copper Country. Views include mines, shafts, smelters and mills, and machinery and operating equipment. The group portraits of miners show what a hardy breed they must have been to perform such hard labor. Scenes of the underground mine shafts are especially haunting in light of this year’s West Virginia mining disasters.
The chapter on the strike of 1913 features some of the rarest postcards in the book. Sanderson has collected views of the Michigan National Guard troops and their camps. The messages on the back of some of these cards give a social history of the time. There are views of protests and parades and a wonderful portrait of Annie Clemenc, the heroine of the strike. On a sadder note there are also scenes of funeral processions for the victims of the 1913 Italian Hall tragedy.
In the chapter on shipping Sanderson gives us wonderful postcard views of ships, freighters, and other boats. Dock scenes show workers loading copper ingots. Lighthouse views of the Canal Light House and the Portage River Light are included as well as a rare view of the U.S. Life Saving Station on the Portage Canal.
The second two-thirds of the book is devoted to towns and villages in the area. Chapters include Calumet and Laurium, Hancock and Houghton, Lake Linden and Hubbell and other towns. The breadth of Sanderson’s collection is shown in views of churches, schools, libraries, fire halls, banks, railroad stations hotels and more.
There are wonderful street scenes that capture the flavor of the town and parades that capture the spirit of the people. The postcard showing the Gay Baseball team of 1907 is a real gem. Scenic views of the Brockway Mountain Drive and Fort Wilkins State Park show the appeal the peninsula had to tourists.
The final chapter of the book features miscellaneous cards with such diverse views as snow scenes, the Freda Park Copper Range Railroad and the famous Cornish pasty. Advertising postcards feature some of the local organizations and businesses. A worthwhile bibliography and recommended reading list close out the book.
Sanderson grew up in Copper Country and has been a life member of the Keewenaw County Historical Society since the early 1980s. She has been active in the preservation of the area and in 2002 was awarded the Lauri W. Leskinen Memorial Award by the historical society for her role in developing a Commercial Fishing Museum located at the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse Museum.
Copper Country Postcards is a wonderful collection to be appreciated by postcard collectors or anyone interested in Upper Peninsula history. The full-size, full-color views are accurate reproductions of Sanderson’s original postcards. The captions that the author has written for the cards give relevant background information to the views. Sanderson’s generosity and commitment to the area is evident in the fact that the proceeds from the sale of the book will help fund preservation projects of the Keweenaw County Historical Society
There is probably not a vantage point on the grounds of the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park where you cannot see Beverly Pepper’s monumental sculpture “Galileo’s Wedge”. Depending on one’s world view, it is either an authoritative metal finger pointing toward the heavens or an elongated monolith-like spike sinking deep into the Earth.
Either way, the 2009 acquisition by Meijer Gardens is a soaring steel object of visual beauty and, simultaneously, engineering mastery which rises nearly 40 feet into the sky and an undefined depth into the ground.
It is that imagination-bending blend of engineering mastery and visual beauty which will be the focus of the next featured exhibit at Meijer Gardens as “Drawn Into Form: Sixty Years of Drawings and Prints by Beverly Pepper” opens Feb. 2, 2018.
The exhibition is the first public showing ofthe gift of Pepper’s expansive print and drawing archives that was given to Meijer Gardens in 2016 and 2017. Spanning seven decades of work by the contemporary sculptor, the archives includes hundreds of drawings, prints, works on paper and notebooks, with many containing sketches of her major sculptural endeavors on display around the world.
Beverly Pepper at Meijer Gardens. (Undated photo taken by George Tatge)
“The 2018 retrospective surveying sixty-five years of work is a rare luxury, and an unbelievable opportunity,” Pepper said in supplied material. “Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park has clearly demonstrated a strong commitment to my sculpture and I am enthusiastic to now have this major body of my work there.” Pepper said in supplied material. “To have in one location a space to study, compare and sequence my drawings and prints is an exceptional opportunity.”
Pepper (born 1922 in Brooklyn, N.Y.) lives and works in Italy. Her works have been exhibited and collected by major arts institutions and galleries around the world, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., Les Jardins du Palais Royal in Paris, and The Museum of Modern Art in Sapporo, Japan.
Joseph Antenucci Becherer, chief curator and vice president of Meijer Gardens, sees the exhibit as a logical public extension of the artist’s gift.
“The importance of the gift and this exhibition simply cannot be overstated,” Becherer said in supplied material. “The opportunity to experience the sheer brilliance of Pepper’s work and trace the trajectory of her career from a realist aesthetic in the late 1940s and 50s, through her embrace of abstraction to become one of America’s leading abstract sculptors, is beyond compare.”
The exhibition will run through April 19, 2018.
Pepper is world-renowned for her work, which often incorporates industrial metals like iron, bronze, stainless steel and stone into sculpture of a monumental scale, but her vast drawing and print repertoire is lesser known.
Associated with the exhibit will be several special events including a March 18 discussion on “Five Great Women Sculptors” by Suzanne Eberle, Professor of Art History at Kendall College of Art & Design. The talk will focus on important female artists — including Pepper, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Louise Bourgeois, Barbara Hepworth, and Louise Nevelson — who have worked in large scale.
With soup season in full swing and family and friends snug in their beds, it seems the perfect time to cozy up with some delicious reading. Here are the books and authors that I return to when I want to be satiated with words.
Gastronomical Me by M. F. K. Fisher follows newly married Fisher and husband Al as they make a life for themselves in prewar France. We learn how Fisher came to taste and savor food and the immediate impact France and French cooking had on her life. This book is filled with Fisher’s signature prose that is as luscious and poignant as it is deftly humorous.
My life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud’Homme is the story of how Julia Child became Julia Child. It tells how she fell in love with France, learned how to cook, and wrote Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Not only is this book filled with lovely images of France and food, it is also an intimate, romantic portrait of Julia and Paul Child’s early years of marriage.
Tender at the Bone, Comfort Me with Apples, and Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl are a series of memoirs from the last editor of Gourmet magazine. This series covers much of Reichl’s life, from her childhood with her mother’s fantastic parties complete with spoiled food, to her job as New York Times food critic. Reichl’s descriptions of food and life are as unique and hilarious as are they are tender and revealing.
Grand Rapids Symphony Music Director Marcelo Lehninger leads the symphony in the Jan. 5 performance of music of Tchaikovsky and Dvorak. (Photo by Terry Johnston)
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Antonin Dvořák flourished in another time and place, in a world before cars and planes, telephones and television.
In the very same era, nine prominent women of Grand Rapids banded together in 1883 to found St. Cecilia Music Center, to promote the study and appreciation of music.
Music Director Marcelo Lehninger leads the Crowe Horwath Great Eras concert at 8 p.m. in St. Cecilia Music Center, 24 Ransom Ave. NW
Highlights of the evening concert will be given at 10 a.m. that morning for The Romantic Coffee Concert, part of the Porter Hills Coffee Classics series, a one-hour program held without intermission. Doors open at 9 a.m. for complementary coffee and pastry.
The Grand Rapids Symphony itself is the star of the show with music including Dvořák’s Serenade for Wind Instruments, Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, and a Brass Sextet in E-flat minor by Oskar Böhme.
“It shows off each section of the orchestra, strings, winds and brass,” Lehninger said.
Dvořák, who drew from folk music of his native Bohemia, was inspired by the Old-World atmosphere of the late 18th century when he composed his Serenade for Wind Instruments in 1878.
An excerpt from its third movement is heard in the 2004 film Iron Jawed Angels, starring Hilary Swank as suffragist leader Alice Paul along with Frances O’Connor, Julia Ormond and Anjelica Huston
Tchaikovsky, who loved the music of Mozart above all other composers, paid homage to the German composer in the first movement of his Serenade for Strings, composed in 1881, two years before St. Cecilia Music Society was founded.
The waltz in its second movement was adapted for singer and orchestra and used in the 1945 MGM film Anchors Aweigh. Kathryn Grayson sang the song titled “From the Heart of a Lonely Poet.”
The complete The Romantic Concert: Dvořák & Tchaikovsky program will be rebroadcast on Sunday, April 1, 2018, at 1 p.m. on Blue Lake Public Radio 88.9 FM or 90.3 FM.
Tickets
Tickets start at $26 for the Great Eras series and $16 for Coffee Classics and are available at the GRS ticket office, weekdays 9 am-5 pm at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100, (located across from the Calder Plaza), or by calling 616.454.9451 x 4. (Phone orders will be charged a $2 per ticket service fee, with a $12 maximum.)
Tickets are available at the DeVos Place box office, weekdays 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., or at the door on the day of the concert prior to the performance. Tickets also may be purchased online at GRSymphony.org
Full-time students of any age are able to purchase tickets for only $5 on the night of the concert by enrolling in the GRS Student Ticketsprogram, sponsored by Comerica and Calvin College. This is a MySymphony360 eligible concert.
More than 20 years after its initial release, Pokémon fans, ranging from young children to seasoned adult players and entire families, have followed and celebrated one mantra: Gotta catch ‘em all!
Back by popular demand, you can catch Pokémon at the Grand Rapids Symphony this January, where Pikachu and the gang will appear on a 40-foot screen while the Grand Rapids Symphony plays the iconic music of the beloved video game.
Grand Rapids Pops presents Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions in a one-night spectacular on Saturday, Jan. 6, at 8 p.m. in DeVos Performance Hall, 303 Monroe Ave. NW in Grand Rapids.
A concertgoer brings a special friend to the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Pokemon 2016 program. (Photo by Terry Johnston)
Two seasons ago, Grand Rapids Pops presented Pokémon to audiences keen to engage in sights and sounds of the endearing game. Now, with the advent of the location-based, augmented reality game PokémonGo in 2016, more people than ever are participating in Pokémon, capturing and training wild Pokémon to do battle and become Pokémon tournament champions.
As part of the Gerber Symphonic Boom series, this concert gives fans a different kind of immersive experience: a symphonic one.
The fuzzy tones and beeps of the game that originated on the hand-held Game Boy now give way to big-screen images enveloped by the surround sound of the Grand Rapids Symphony, performing musical arrangements timed to the visuals from recent and classic Pokémon video games.
Guest Conductor Chad Seiter, Michigan native who attended Grand Valley State University from 2001 to 2003, conducts the concert produced by Princeton Entertainment. Seiter, a prolific composer, arranger, and orchestrator for film, television, and video games has provided compositions and arrangements for some of Hollywood’s biggest projects, including Lost, Star Trek, and the Medal of Honor video game series.
Grand Rapids Symphony’s Pokemon 2016 program had many bringing special guests. (Terry Johnston)
In 2016 season, guest conductor Susie Benchasil Seiter conducted Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions to an enthusiastic Grand Rapids crowed decked out in Pokémon garb and Game Boys. The husband and wife team also collaborated to orchestrate and conduct The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddess.
Chad Seiter, originally from Okemos, now serves as the Associate Executive Producer at Princeton Entertainment, and was the lead arranger and music director for all of the Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions concerts.
Together with Benchasil Seiter, he transcribed the score of Pokémon’s original composer Junichi Masuda for symphonic audiences, while crafting additional music to enhance the concert-going experience.
“We started by listening to every single piece of music in all the Pokémon games,” Seiter said. “From there, we narrowed it down to our favorites that tell the story of Pokémon. Then we picked the pieces we thought would work best with a symphony orchestra.”
Their musical efforts have resulted in what iDigital Times called a “once in a lifetime event.”
Memorable musical highlights such as the Pokémon Red and Blue Overture, and the beautiful “Kiseki” from Pokémon X and Y, were handpicked by Masuda for Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions. The concert also features music from the Pokémon anime series and films.
Perhaps Game Music Online puts it best: there are few things as fun as celebrating beloved childhood memories played out in front devoted fans with the help of live, symphonic music.
Tickets
Tickets for Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions start at $18 and are available at the GRS ticket office, weekdays 9 am-5 pm at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100, (located across from the Calder Plaza), or by calling 616.454.9451 x 4. (Phone orders will be charged a $2 per ticket service fee, with a $12 maximum.)
Tickets are available at the DeVos Place box office, weekdays 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. or on the day of the concert beginning two hours prior to the performance. Tickets also may be purchased online at GRSymphony.org.
The world is a complicated canvas of varying views, realities, and expectations. The next two installments in the Grand Rapids Ballet‘s innovative contemporary dance series, MOVEMEDIA, will explore and celebrate these beautiful differences.
Experience thought-provoking panel discussions and powerful community outreach bookended by complementary world-premiere works by some of today’s most important choreographers.
For tickets, visit grballet.com. Performances are in February and March 2018.
By Lisa Boss, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch
How does a dog, partially raised in a U.S. prison, save the life of a 17-yr. Army veteran? Well–it’s a great story!
Luis Carlos Montalvan is a veteran and former captain in the army, with two Bronze Stars and the Purple Heart. But after two tours in Iraq, and the war wounds received there, he found his life unrecognizable. Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, along with other severe injuries, had turned his life into agony, and it stayed that way for a long time.
Meanwhile, Tuesday was a pup in a litter of Golden Retrievers, destined to become a Service Dog for the severely disabled, and tweaked to help veterans with TBI and PTSD. The day they met changed both of their lives.
This is not so much a book about a dog, as how a life that is almost destroyed, can be painstakingly put back together. Montalvan’s writing is powerful and engaging, and Until Tuesday packs a wallop in its slim 252 pages.
A new exhibit titled, “Celebration,” by local artist George Peebles, opens at the Leep Art Gallery on Jan. 3 at the Postma Center on the Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services campus in Grand Rapids.
Grand Rapids artist George Peebles is an international artist within contemporary oil painting. He paints from the compelling force of emotion that continues to inspire his fascination of nature acquired through his devoted walk in faith. His deep and full-hearted feelings are forged from the vivid beauty of nature’s landscape that transcend onto the canvas with vivid colors.
Peebles uses an array of colors, even though he is red-green colorblind. He uses this as a gift to show his vision in a new perspective. Before he was aware of his colorblindness, he had already majored in printmaking, drawing, sculpture, painting and photography from Kendall College in 1986.
With every painting as individual as can be, he continues to create his masterpieces from memory.
“Every time you go outside and see the sky above the trees, it is different no matter how many times you go to the same place. Each spirited work of art created is as special as the earth itself.”
The Pine Rest Leep Art Gallery exhibit will be on display at the Postma Center located at 300 68th Street, SE, Grand Rapids, Mich., from Jan. 3 until April 3, 2018. The Leep Art Gallery is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. and is free and open to the public. For more information, please call 616-222-4530 or go to www.pinerest.org/events.
I had no idea how much I would enjoy this book when I first picked it up. The cover is a black and white photo of a farmhouse and barn huddling under what appear to be storm clouds. Pretty simple at first glance, kind of how I thought the story would play out, but I was happily surprised.
The story begins with Toby, a widow in her early 70s who is hosting her sixteen-year-old granddaughter, Lila, at her Nebraska farm for the summer. Toby seems to be a typical caregiver kind of person because her older sister, Gertie, lives with her and Lila is pregnant and unwed. The reader quickly learns, however, that there is much more to these characters than meets the eye as the story twists deeper with each turn of the page.
Carter Joern narrates the novel in third person and alternates the point of view between Toby, Lila, Gertie and George. While this method of storytelling can sometimes be confusing, the author makes it very clear to the reader who is doing the telling as each voice changes by naming the character instead of numbering chapters.
One thing I really liked about this book is the pace set by each of the characters. At times I felt like I couldn’t turn the pages quickly enough, and other times it felt like I could savor the words on the page. The funny thing about this book was that none of the characters appeared to be remarkable in an obvious way, yet I felt very drawn into the telling of their lives, especially as more and more about each of them was revealed.
If you’re looking for something a little bit different, I suggest you give The Floor of the Sky a try.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
In fall 2016, Maya Grant traveled to India on a study abroad scholarship from the GVSU Padnos International Center. Grant, a sociology major, was led to India by a need to escape and explore. She studied at Christ University in Bengaluru, volunteered at a local non-profit and captured her experiences and interactions through photography. On the weekends, Grant joined a group of expats called the Bangalore Wanderlusters, and traveled throughout Karnataka and its neighboring states. This exhibition includes more than 25 photographs documenting her experiences studying abroad, and exploring the landscape and people of India.
What: ‘Traveling with the Bangalore Wanderlusters: Reflections on a Semester in India by Maya Grant’
When: Exhibition on display through March 2
Where: Blue Wall Gallery (Building B), DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
Kentwood’s Railtown Brewing Company — OK, actually Dutton’s Railtown — will be invading downtown Grand Rapids Ionia Avenue next week when several holiday variations of its Good Mooed milk stout are featured at a Tap Take Over at the Craft Beer Cellar.
According to Facebook posts by both brewer and tapper, the Railtown Good Mooed Tap Take Over will take place Thursday, Dec, 28, from 6-10 p.m. The Craft Beer Cellar is located at 404 Ionia Ave. SW.
Plan is, at this point, to have four versions of Railtown’s milk stout on tap. In addition to its Good Mooed (a true-to-style milk stout), also available will be Festive Mooed (featuring coffee, cinnamon and nutmeg), Best Mooed Ever (with coconut, almond and chocolate — think Almond Joy), and Viscous Mooed, which is described as “A completely new and experimental brew for Railtown. The base remains true to the Good Mooed brand however, it was double mashed leading to an ABV of 10.3 percent. They also added a generous amount of bittersweet cocoa. The resulting brew is thick, rich, and chocolaty with a nice balance between sweet and bitter.”
Oh ya, there will also be a couple other non-mooed kegs from Railtown on tap for those not into being mooed.
Also, remember there is free street parking at downtown parking meters after 5 p.m. weekdays. For more information visit the Facebook pages of either.
Greenville’s 57 Brew Pub and microbrewery sold, taps and all
After five years in business, and plenty of great beers brewed and backyard concerts held, the 57 Brew Pub & Bistro has been sold to investment group HMV Holdings, according to a press release by Calder Capital.
HMV Holdings is a partnership between Andy Hurst, Jason Mahar, and Marc Vander Velde, who all have strong ties to the Greenville area and are excited to share their brewpub vision with the community, Hurst told WKTV. Planned changes include a tap expansion that will allow them to continue to brew and serve their own beer while also offering other craft beers from around the state and country.
Founded in 2012 — and known to locals as simply “57 Brew Pub” — the pub is a family-owned, award-winning microbrewery and restaurant, according to the release. The business was designed and built from the ground up as a brewery and brew pub, and was founded and run by Greenville locals, Bob and Dottie Olsen. They decided to sell in order to retire to a warmer climate, and say they are pleased that the brewery will continue to be operated by locals.
For more information on 57 Brew Pub visit 57brewpub.com .
GRPM Beer Explorers goes all beer and doughnuts
Founders Brewing Company, Robinette’s and the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) will join forces for the next museum Beer Explorers program on Jan. 11, 2018, as Beer & Doughnuts will offer a twist on a Founders beer tasting.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Beer Explorers program will pair Founders beer with Robinette’s doughnuts. (Supplied)
According to supplied information, this class pairs Founders beer with Robinette’s doughnuts, allowing participants to “explore their sense of taste and what combinations appeal to individual palates.”
The class begins at 6:30 p.m. and will be held on the 1st floor of the GRPM. Admission to each class includes general admission to the museum as well as four beer and doughnut samples. A cash bar will also be available.
Spoiler alert: Beer Explorers will continue on Feb. 8 with Brewery Vivant and the Pilot Malt House to learn all about how malts influence the different beers. They had me at Vivant …
Tickets are $22 for non-museum members and participants must be age 21 or older. Tickets can be purchased at grpm.org.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
From 1940-1960, the Australian government forced Aboriginal groups off their lands and into organized communities of the Central Desert region and along the northern coast. Papunya, located about 150 miles northwest of Alice Springs, was the final community established to collect these displaced groups, and where the contemporary Australian Aboriginal art movement began.
This exhibition is drawn out of a recent gift of Australian Aboriginal paintings to Grand Valley State University, created by artists from Papunya and the surrounding region. It features artwork that provides insight into Aboriginal life, retellings of important ancient stories and symbols, and the sacred sites of this vast and arid landscape.
What:‘Drawn from the Desert: Australian Aboriginal Paintings from the Central and Western Deserts’
When: Exhibition on display through March 2
Where: Kirkhof Center Gallery (main floor), Allendale Campus
The irony of being stalked by an remorseless killer is never far from Carlo’s mind, as he writes his last book, which is the one we are reading. Diagnosed with ALS in 2005, he became even more driven to finish his projects before his “deadline”, and the result is that we are able to learn a little about life from a courageous man.
A true-crime writer for nearly 30 years, Carlo specialized in contract and serial killers. In this memoir he explains how his life intersected and diverged with Mafia figures at an early age. An inappropriate sexual relationship with a young female teacher led to the revelation that he was dyslexic. She helped him to read and it changed his life so much that he realized he wanted to be a writer. Later, he would be drawn to subjects growing out of his early life in Brooklyn. Events, good and bad, shaped his journey, including a chilling series of encounters with a pedophile that almost ended his life.
Carlo ultimately saw his mission in unearthing and exposing the root and branch of the sociopathic personality, to understand them and to warn others. The juxtaposition of the relentless disease process of ALS, and the “monsters” of Carlo’s acquaintance is thought provoking. Because who is not fascinated by evil? As long as humanity has struggled to understand it’s secrets, so it eludes us.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Tony Fitzpatrick was born in 1958, and raised in and around Chicago as a member of a large middle-class Irish Catholic family. His father worked as a burial vault salesman, and often took Tony along to appointments around the city when he was suspended from school. Drawing was a pervasive part of his life, and he’d sketch anything that caught his eye. He graduated from Montini Catholic High School in 1977, untrained in the arts. Over the years, Fitzpatrick spent time as boxer, bartender, actor, waiter and tattoo artist. These experiences, coupled with an insatiable appetite for drawing, had a profound effect on his work.
This exhibition features 21 etchings by the artist. They are drawn out of a recent gift to Grand Valley State University’s permanent art collection of more than 120 works on paper. Filled with strange and magical beasts, they draw on his childhood imagination, Catholic upbringing and immersive experience in street culture.
What: ‘Strange & Magical Beasts: Etchings by Tony Fitzpatrick’
When: Exhibit on display through March 2
Where: West Wall Gallery, L. V. Eberhard Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
“Enjoy yourselves… it’s laaaa-ter than you think…”
An eye condition had pretty much knocked out my ability to read very well for a couple of months, and as things gradually improved I began to long for a nice book. I kept bringing books home for weeks, as if I might be reading them the next day, but I never did–I couldn’t.
Then, one day a man began describing the book he had just finished in such laudatory terms, that I took it home. It was a small book, easy to hold, with large, clear print and an intriguing cover. The book turned out to be beautifully written–a sharp, insightful look at the human heart. It had the crisp pacing of a thriller, the philosophical bent of a C.S. Lewis, and the sociological pondering of an E.O. Wilson, combined with a Mark Twain like humor.
It’s the true story of two men, who the author came to know well. The first man is his childhood rabbi, a scholarly man. The second is a man who came to the cloth from desperation, begging God to spare his life from the drug dealers hunting him down one night. They couldn’t be more different in some ways, or more alike in others. Over the years, Albom becomes more and more involved in their stories, their congregants, and the mystery of how a philosophy of ourselves and the universe can shape our time on earth.
From a man whose temple in New Jersey included Auschwitz survivors, to a different type of church in Detroit, where the pastor’s challenges involve finding enough food and clothing for his flock, their stories provide the canvass for Albom to consider his own life.
At the end when there are two eulogies to be performed (get out the kleenex!), I felt I would remember this book and the people in it for a long time.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Virginia Jenkins is a professor and former chair of the Department of Visual and Media Arts at Grand Valley State University. Landscape forms and images have been the primary focus of her work for more than two decades, and her areas of specialty are in painting, drawing and mixed media. This exhibition is drawn from a recent series created in response to the landscape of the Northwest coast of the United States.
What: ‘Landscapes, Color & Light: Paintings by Virginia Jenkins’
When: Exhibition on display through March 2
Where: Red Wall Gallery, Lake Ontario Hall (first floor), Allendale Campus
Join the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) for the final Mighty Wurlitzer Organ Concerts of the 2017 series with special holiday music performances by John Lauter on Friday, Dec. 15 and Saturday, Dec. 16.
Lauter will present holiday cheer this season bringing to life favorite holiday songs on the GRPM’s 1928 Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ. Tickets are recommended to be purchased early, as they are likely to sell out.
A Detroit native, Lauter began his organ, piano and music studies at age 14, with his public debut at the Redford Theatre at age 16. He has presented concerts in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Boston, San Francisco, Phoenix, Denver, Wichita, Chicago, Cleveland, Atlanta, Toronto and more. John has been on the staff of the Fox Theatre, and was staff organist of the Michigan Theatre in Ann Arbor for 17 years. He is the musical curator of the Stahl Museum in Chesterfield and just completed the installation of a large Wurlitzer Theatre Organ there.
Shows will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 15, and at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16, in the Meijer Theater at the GRPM.
Tickets for individual concerts are $8 for Museum member adults, $4 for Museum member children, $10 for non-member adults and $5 for non-member children. Tickets are available by visiting www.grpm.org/Organ or by calling 616-929-1700.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) announced today that a new virtual reality experience will be opening on Saturday, Dec. 16, featuring Finny, the Museum’s iconic 1905 finback whale skeleton that hangs above the first floor Galleria.
At the “Meet Finny” kiosk, visitors will come face to face with Finny in the Finny Virtual Reality experience. An HTC Vive headset and hand controls will be available to put on and spend a few minutes interacting with Finny in a whale’s natural environment.
Visitors will see Finny swimming around as you stand on the ocean floor, and learn about whale anatomy through the layers of its body. As visitors look through the headset, small targets will be seen on the whale, that allow users to click and learn more about fin whales. Learn about Finny’s blubber layer, internal organs and skeleton!
Additionally, visitors can interact with two video touchscreens to learn more about Finny and fin whales in general. Museum visitors can explore the history of Finny, how this artifact came to the Museum and see images of Finny throughout history, as well as interact with scientific findings about fin whales, including what they eat, how big they are and more!
“Using technology to enhance our experiences here at the Museum is one of our priorities,” said Dale Robertson, President & CEO of the GRPM. “Creating a virtual reality experience and interactive exhibit for one of our most iconic artifacts allows visitors to learn more about it from a scientific and historical perspective, while adding a new dimension to visitor trips to the Museum.”
“Meet Finny” was created through local partnership with Externa CGI and Freshwater Digital. “Finny Virtual Reality” is sponsored by Externa CGI.
“The team at Externa CGI and I were thrilled to play a part in bringing Virtual Reality (VR) to the Grand Rapids Public Museum,” said Brian Knapp, Creative Director at Externa CGI. “We all love the Museum and what it brings to our community and we are honored to be involved.”
”It has been a privilege to partner with the Grand Rapids Public Museum on the Finny project. This display has been an iconic piece of Grand Rapids culture for years and we hope the new digital experience will further enhance the exhibit and inspire the public as much as it inspired our team that worked on the project,” said Matt Downey, President of Freshwater Digital.
“Meet Finny” and “Finny VR Experience” will be included with general admission to the Museum. For more information, visit grpm.org/MeetFinny.
About Finny
The finback whale skeleton was acquired by the GRPM in 1905 from the estate of Dr. Jacob W. Velie of St. Joseph, Michigan. Velie acquired it on a trip to Florida’s Gulf Coast, where the whale had washed ashore.
Measuring about 75 feet in length, the fin or finback whale was a mature adult weighing between 80 and 90 tons. Shaped for speed and endurance, this large baleen mammal is native to the deeper waters of the world’s oceans. The semi-flat v-shared head, tapering flippers, and broad powerful flukes aided in propelling it through the water so swiftly that few predators could overtake it. The large mouths incorporate many rows of baleen plates, a horn-like substance fringed with tiny bristles. This specimen has been restored to reflect how whales appear underwater.
Want a New Year’s resolution that doesn’t make you sweat? How about a book that pumps up your vocabulary? Pick up a copy of Better Than Great. In a world filled with bland adjectives like “amazing” or “fantastic” or “awesome” this 198-page handbook will boost your word choices from boring to bountiful. You won’t become a word nerd, but it will help you become more descriptive and convey what you are really trying to say.
Author Arthur Plotnik suggests that you partake his suggestions in small doses and practice in everyday conversations. He has divided the book into several categories (like beautiful, large, intense, exceptional, etc) under which he has listed hundreds of more expressive words. Is that supermodel beautiful or resplendent? Was that symphony performance just great or stellar or transcendent? Is your best friend fun or really effervescent?
Mr. Plotnik, who is editor and publisher with the American Library Association, also provides “50 ways to text acclaim” and 75 acclamatory terms for wine.
My advice? Consult the book once a day and learn a new way of saying what you really mean. Your vocabulary will go from standard to salient!
’ Tis the season, for brewery swag gifts for that special boy (or girl), and beer.
Rockford Brewing Company today begins five days of holiday fun — translate that as being beer and music — to celebrate five years of business, during which visitors can partake in limited release brews, free live music from local artists, and discounts on brewpub swag.
“We’ve had many triumphs and also learned many lessons the last five years,” Seth Rivard, co-owner of Rockford Brewing Company, said in supplied material. “We wanted to extend our anniversary celebration from one day to one week this year so we can thank everyone who has supported us.”
Today, Tuesday, Dec. 12, the party begins with 50 percent off pints all day and free live music from An Dro at 7 p.m. On Wednesday, Dec. 13, there will be 55.5 percent off howler and growler fills, and free live music from Patrick Nolan at 7 p.m.; Thursday, Dec. 14, there will be 23 percent off total bill and free live music from Eric Engblade at 7:30 p.m.; on Friday, Dec.15, there will be 50 percent off gift cards with any purchase and free live music from Roosevelt Diggs 8:30 p.m.; and finally on Saturday, Dec. 15, there will be 50 percent off merchandise and free live music from Hazy Past at 8:30 p.m.
Rockford Brewing Company will also be releasing two specialty brews: Shanty Warmer, a Russian Imperial Stout, and Complete Nutter Madness, a coffee, peanut butter and vanilla Imperial Porter.
Rockford Brewing Company has many reasons to celebrate this year, according to supplied information. Along with opening a kitchen last fall, bottling and distributing 6-packs for the first time, it won local awards from Revue Magazine and Best Wings in Grand Rapids by Mlive. On a national level, they were awarded Best Small Brewpub and Best Small Brewpub Brewer, along with a silver medal for their Sheehan’s Irish Stout and a bronze medal for their Rogue River Brown.
Gravity helps Founders celebrate 20 years with 20 pours
On Wednesday, Dec. 13, Gravity Taphouse and Grill will take part in Founders Brewing Company’s 20th anniversary celebration by offering 20 Founders beers either on tap or in bottle — and offering a free anniversary growler with most of the brewery’s pours.
There will be special brews available all day, including Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS), both 2016 and 2017, and its Canadian Breakfast Stout (CBS) will be tapped at 6 p.m. Alas, those three are not available in growler; but then most of us could not handle a growler of the magical stuff.
