Tag Archives: arts

Snapshots: Things to do this weekend

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Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light.

J.K. Rowling


By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Park Party

The new playground at Jackson Park. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

This Saturday, the City of Wyoming will be hosting a reopening event for Jackson Park, located at 1331 33rd St. SW, right next to the Wyoming Intermediate School. The event will start at 10 a.m. and include the official opening of the park’s new splash pad. The park has a new playground, shelter area, bathrooms, and parking lot. Also taking place will be a free yoga class at 11:15 a.m.

Festival Returns

Festival of the Arts will be a little different this year.

The first weekend in June has always meant Festival of the Arts, which has returned this summer albeit a little different. Because of uncertainty in social distancing guidelines, the organization is offering Plein Air and performances this weekend. Artists will be out Friday, Saturday and Sunday with musicians performing on Saturday only on Monroe Center and Ottawa Avenue. Saturday is scheduled to be a beautiful day to walk around downtown Grand Rapids on Saturday and Sunday to soak it all in. Oh, and if you are out on Saturday, we recommend Total Eclipse of the Harp featuring Emily Smith, who will perform at 10 a.m., 3 and 6 p.m.

Splash Pads Now Open

The splash pad at Oriole Park.

Summer is here! How do we know? The splash pads in both the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood are now open. The City of Kentwood has two splash pads, one at Pinewood Park, 1999 Wolfboro Dr. SE, and Veterans Memorial Park, 355 48th St. SE. Both are open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The City of Wyoming has three splash pads,  Lamar Park, 2561 Porter St. SW; one at Oriole Park, 1380 42nd St. SW., and the third is at Southlawn Park, 4125 Jefferson SW. Wyoming’s splash pads are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. A fourth splash pad at Jackson Park is set to open on Saturday during the park’s reopening ceremony.

Fun Fact: I’m Your Venus

With NASA’s recent announcement that it is planning two missions to Earth’s other neighbor, Venus, we thought it might be fun to share a few facts about the second planet closest to the sun. Besides the fact that it is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty:

  1. Venus is hotter than Mercury despite the fact that Mercury is closer to the sun.

  2. A day on Venus is longer than a year on Earth.

  3. Venus has about 90 times the atmospheric pressure of Earth, which is the same pressure at about 1 km depth in the Earth’s oceans.

  4. It is believed that Venus had a celestial collision early in its history which caused the planet to get flipped upside down. This resulted in the planet rotating clockwise unlike the rest of the planets in our solar system which rotate anti-clockwise.

  5. Humans have been studying Venus since the second millennium BC because it is one of the brightest objects in the sky and easy to spot with the naked eye. In the upcoming Venus explorations, which are scheduled to launch in 2028-2030, NASA aims to understand how Venus became an inferno-like world when it has so many other characteristics similar to ours – and may have been the first habitable world in the solar system, complete with an ocean and Earth-like climate.

For good deals, an assured seat, now is the time to purchase season tickets

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, , ,

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Got your eye on Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s “Ring of Fire: The Music of Jonny Cash”? Hoping to score tickets to one of the five movies that the Grand Rapids Symphony will be offering in its 2019-2020 series?

Many art organizations have made (or will be making) announcements of shows for the 2019-2020 season, and if you want to assure that you have tickets to the shows you want to see, buying tickets early not only assures that but also can save you money and give you peaks towards other things such as free ticket exchanges when life disrupts your plans.

Here’s the lowdown on a few art organizations that offer early bird specials. Make sure to keep you eyes out as others, such as Actors’ Theatre Grand Rapids, will be making announcements soon.

Grand Rapids Civic Theatre

Packing a punch for the 2019-2020 season is Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, which will be offering “Ring of Fire: The Music of Jonny Cash,” “Frozen, Jr.,” “Elf the Musical,” “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “Mtatilda the Musical,” “June B. Jones Is Not a Crook,” “The Wiz,” “Disney’s High School Musical,” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

“What I love about this season is the opportunity to present all the plays that will be new to our audiences anchored by ‘A Streetcar Named Desire,’ one of the greatest plays ever written.   Our season is full of well-loved stories, charming musicals, and a dose of holiday magic,” said Executive Director Bruce Tinker.

Season subscriptions are available through Aug. 21, however the early bird specials end April 30, (that is TUESDAY, APRIL 30). So now is the time to snap up tickets if you are interested. Civic offers a number of early bird packages, the Perm Package which includes preferred seating on performance day for five productions picked by the directors. Those productions are “Ring of Fire,” “Elf the Musical,” “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “Matilda the Musical,” and “The  Wiz.” 

There are also several flex packages available that allow patrons to building their own season by using the tickets in any combination, all for one show or split them up over several shows. Those packages are $150 for six tickets, $200 for 8 tickets, and $250 for 10 tickets. 

To purchase early bird subscriptions or to learn more about other options, visit grct.org or call the box office at 616-222-6650.

Opera Grand Rapids

As part of its regular season, Opera Grand Rapids will be featuring the Gilbert & Sullivan’s satire “The Mikado,” Nov. 1 and 2 at St. Cecilia Music Center, 24 Ransom Ave. NW ; and Puccini’s “Turandot May 1 and 2 at DeVos Performance Hall, 303 Monroe NW.

“We are thrilled to bring to life two iconic works for our Grand Rapids audiences for the up-coming season,” said James Meena, Artistic Director at Opera Grand Rapids. “By pairing Gilbert & Sullivan’s beloved satire, ‘The Mikado,’ with Puccini’s final opera, ‘Turandot,’ Opera Grand Rapids offers two truly contrasting stories, continuing the company’s long-standing reputation for providing unique musical experiences to the community.”

Through May 31, early-bird subscribers receive 25 percent off ticket prices. After May 31, the discount is 15 percent for subscribers. Individuals tickets, which range from $95 – $67, go on sale June 3. Student tickets are $5 with a valid student ID.

For ticket information, visit operagr.org or call 451-2741 next. 103.

Disney’s “Up” is one of the five films that Grand Rapids Symphony will have in its 2019-2020 season. (Pixar)

Grand Rapids Symphony

The Grand Rapids Symphony offers a host of concerts throughout the year and with that a number of subscription packages to fit about any budget. If you love moves, check out the Popcorn Package that has such films as “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” “Ghostbusters,” Home Alone, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” and “Up.” The movie concerts often sellout.

Other packages include two for the 2019 Picnic Pops, several for the classical series, the Pops Package, SymphonicBoom, Great Eras, and Coffee Classics. For those who like a little of everything, there is a create your own package where you can pick up to four performances. Prices for the packages vary so either check them out at grsymphony.org or call the Symphony Box Office at 616-454-9451, ext. 4.

Marking 50, Festival of the Arts reveals 2019 poster commemorating GR’s famous red sculpture

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The 2019 Festival of the Arts poster. Festival takes place June 7, 8, and 9.

WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

To commemorate its 50th year, Festival of the Arts is excited to announce renowned designer Stephen Frykholm as its 2019 poster artist. One of the longest running festivals in the state of Michigan, Festival of the Arts will hold its 50th celebration on June 7, 8, and 9 in downtown Grand Rapids.

“Steve was an obvious choice to create the 50th celebration poster,” said Festival of the Arts Executive Director David Abbott.” He is a luminary in the design community and we knew he would create something unique and compelling to commemorate this milestone event.”

Frykholm started his career at Herman Miller in 1970 as the company’s first graphic designer. In 1986 he received the Carl F. Frost Award, Herman Miller’s highest recognition for an employee. In 2007, AIGA, the professional association for design, awarded him an AIGA Fellow, and in 2010 he earned AIGA’s most prestigious award, the AIGA Medal. Steve has been recognized as an annual report design legend by Graphis magazine and he was acclaimed as an American design icon in the 50th anniversary issue of Communication Arts. He retired from Herman Miller in 2015.

“When David Abbott asked me if I would design the Festival of the Arts poster this year, I couldn’t say no, because it’s the 50th year of the festival. That’s a big deal!” Frykholm said. “It was also 50 years ago that the critically acclaimed Calder stabile was installed, and it is the epicenter of the festival. After reviewing all the former posters in the lower level of City Hall, I decided on my direction–the iconic Calder would be my focal point. The Grand River and the Native American mounds are also important city symbols, and I wanted to include them. The large poster I came up with is simple and direct in its design and typography with a blue sky for optimism. I hope it inspires people to start their summer–and perhaps a suntan–by attending the 50th Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts in June.”  

This year’s poster will be available for sale in the Festival Store and at the Gift Shop at the GRAM during Festival of the Arts. Both signed and unsigned versions will be available at different price points.
    

The Calder stabile, or La Grande Vitesse, was formally dedicated on June 14, 1969, and has since become the civic symbol of the City of Grand Rapids. Its installation inspired the first Festival of the Arts, a three-day community arts celebration held each year on the first full weekend in June. Festival began in 1970 and was originally sponsored by the Arts Council of Greater Grand Rapids.

Festival started with two stages, some artwork and a few food booths. Today, the celebration covers much of downtown Grand Rapids with three performance stages, dozens of food booths, and endless art and activities for all ages. Now in its 50th year, Festival of the Arts is one of the longest running festivals in the State of Michigan.