Tag Archives: Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

Announcing 2024 Fifth Third Bank Summer Concerts series lineup at Frederik Meijer Gardens

1-featured, Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Kent County, Local Business, Upcoming Events, West Michigan, , , , , ,
Greensky Bluegrass is racing to Meijer Gardens to perform for you! (Courtesy, FMG)


By WKTV Staff

deborah@wktv.org


Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is pleased to announce the complete 2024 Fifth Third Bank Summer Concerts at Meijer Gardens lineup, featuring 33 unique shows.

This lineup reflects our continued commitment since 2003 to bringing a diverse array of internationally renowned artists to the Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater. 

Black Pumas (Courtesy, Jody Domingue)

The Gardens and Sculpture Park, featuring works from internationally acclaimed artists, and lively acoustics create an intimate concert setting for guests of all ages. From its manicured general admission lawn seating to the ivy growing on the stage, the Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater is the ideal summer setting for experiencing live music from world-class acts, right here in West Michigan.

Free and convenient on-site parking and the ability for concertgoers to bring a picnic or enjoy unique concessions offerings highlight the Meijer Gardens concert experience.

“We are delighted to present another summer of world-class live music in the Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater,” said Charles Burke, President & CEO of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

“We’re extremely thankful to the entire Meijer family, Fifth Third Bank, Harvey Lexus of Grand Rapids, Corewell Health, Grand Rapids Symphony, the Steve and Amy Van Andel Foundation, and all our partners for their commitment in helping make this series possible and allowing us to welcome more people to experience the arts at Meijer Gardens.”

NEW ticketing provider

Meijer Gardens is also happy to announce AXS as the new ticketing provider for the Fifth Third Bank Summer Concerts at Meijer Gardens series.

Orville Peck (Courtesy, FMG)

All tickets will be sold at AXS.com—and with AXS Mobile ID, your phone is your ticket. The move to AXS Mobile ID is designed to ensure a smooth purchasing experience, put tickets in the hands of our guests, and reduce ticket resale from unauthorized sites.

AXS Mobile ID is a digital ticketing technology that provides the flexibility and convenience of safely and securely managing tickets online or in the AXS mobile app.

AXS Mobile ID allows for convenience, flexibility, and security. Guests can manage tickets digitally, transfer tickets when needed, and remain assured that all tickets are authentic and secure. Guests are encouraged to set up an account at any time at AXS.com.

To help members and the public prepare for buying tickets, Meijer Gardens has created an Insider’s Guide to aid in making the ticket purchasing experience hassle-free.

Fifth Third Bank Summer Concerts at Meijer Gardens Lineup

Gate and show start times vary. Information and lineup subject to change. All shows take place rain or shine. Weather delays are possible.


Little Feat + Los Lobos (Courtesy, FMG)


Orville Peck with Durand Jones and Debbii Dawson, Wednesday, June 5: $57 presale |  $60 member |  $62 public

Greensky Bluegrass, Sunday, June 9: $68 presale |  $71 member |  $73 public

Tower of Power, Wednesday, June 12: $59 presale |  $62 member |  $64 public

O.A.R., Thursday, June 20: $82 presale |  $85 member  |  $87 public
Little Feat + Los Lobos, Friday, June 21: $75 presale |  $78 member  |  $80 public
Black Pumas with Abraham Alexander, Sunday, June 23: $80 presale |  $83 member  |  $85 public
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue with Devon Gilfillian,
Monday, June 24: $75 presale |  $78 member  |  $80 public
Bonnie Raitt with James Hunter, Wednesday, June 26: $99 presale |  $102 member  |  $104 public
Mat Kearney with Donovan Frankenreiter, Sunday, June 30: $54 presale |  $57 member  |  $59 public
My Morning Jacket, Monday, July 1: $77 presale |  $80 member  |  $82 public
Amos Lee with Mikaela Davis, Wednesday, July 3: $65 presale |  $68 member  |  $70 public
Old Crow Medicine Show with Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway,
Wednesday, July 10: $67 presale |  $70 member  |  $72 public
Bruce Hornsby with Grand Rapids Symphony,
Thursday, July 11: $67 presale |  $70 member  |  $72 public
The Temptations + The Four Tops, Friday, July 12: $79 presale |  $82 member  |  $84 public
Jason Mraz, Wednesday, July 17: $95 presale |  $98 member  |  $100 public
The Wallflowers, Thursday, July 18: $45 presale |  $48 member  |  $50 public
Warren Haynes with Grand Rapids Symphony, Monday, July 22: $70 presale |  $73 member  |  $75 public
Charley Crockett, Wednesday, July 24: $60 presale |  $63 member  |  $65 public
Il Divo, Thursday, July 25: $69 presale |  $72 member  |  $74 public
Boyz II Men, Sunday, July 28: $130 presale |  $133 member  |  $135 public
Black Violin with Grand Rapids Symphony, Thursday, August 1: $65 presale |  $68 member  |  $70 public
Gin Blossoms + Toad the Wet Sprocket + Vertical Horizon,
Monday, August 5: $78 presale |  $81 member  |  $83 public
Kansas, Thursday, August 8: $79 presale |  $82 member  |  $84 public
Andrew Bird + Amadou & Mariam, Friday, August 9: $63 presale |  $66 member  |  $68 public
Five For Fighting, Sunday, August 11: $53 presale |  $56 member  |  $58 public
Blues Traveler + Big Head Todd and the Monsters,
Wednesday, August 14: $75 presale |  $78 member  |  $80 public
Grace Potter, Sunday, August 18: $55 presale |  $58 member  |  $60 public
Fitz and The Tantrums, Thursday, August 22: $55 presale |  $58 member  |  $60 public
Leslie Odom, Jr., Thursday, August 29: $70 presale |  $73 member  |  $75 public
Sierra Ferrell with Meredith Axelrod, Friday, September 6: $50 presale |  $53 member  |  $55 public
Michael Franti & Spearhead, Sunday, September 8: $65 presale |  $68 member  |  $70 public
Buena Vista Social Orchestra, Sunday, September 15: $50 presale |  $53 member  |  $55 public
Keb’ Mo’ + Shawn Colvin, Monday, September 16: $60 presale |  $63 member  |  $65 public

Members presale

Members may buy tickets during the members-only presale beginning 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 20, through midnight on Friday, April 26.

Grace Potter (Courtesy, Adrien Broom)

Members save $5 per ticket during the presale. After April 27, members save $2 per ticket. There is a limit of six tickets per show.

To join or renew a Meijer Gardens membership before April 20, click here or call the Membership Department at 616-977-7689.

Tickets can be purchased online at AXS.com. A $5 fee per ticket and 3% credit card fee per order is added.

Public ticket sale

Sales to the public begin at 9 am on Saturday, April 27. There is a limit of six tickets per show. Tickets can be purchased online at AXS.com. A $10 fee per ticket and 3% credit card fee per order is added.

Ticket purchasers are encouraged to receive and manage their tickets via the AXS mobile app. A $15 processing fee will be added for those who wish to have their tickets mailed to them by AXS. There will be a $6 processing fee for ticket purchasers who choose Will Call as their method of delivery.

Details about the Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater

Leslie Odom Jr. (Courtesy, FMG)

The 1,900-seat Amphitheater Garden features general admission tiered lawn seating. Concertgoers are welcome to bring a blanket or low-rise chair to sit on. Low-rise chairs are defined as 12” maximum from front of seat bottom to ground and 32” maximum to top of chair back in highest position.

These rules are strictly enforced. No other chairs will be permitted in the venue. A limited number of standard-height chairs located in designated areas are available to rent for $10 on a first-come, first-served basis and may not be removed.

A selection of sandwiches, snacks, water, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages are available at the Eileen DeVries Concessions Center. Concertgoers are also welcomed to bring their own food, sealed bottled water and nonalcoholic beverages in their original sealed non-glass containers. Soft-sided coolers that do not exceed 25 quarts or 14″x14″x14″ are permitted.

Weapons are not allowed. All guests, bags and coolers are subject to search prior to entering the venue.

Concert series sponsors and career opportunities

The Fifth Third Bank Summer Concerts at Meijer Gardens series is sponsored by Fifth Third Bank, Harvey Lexus of Grand Rapids, Corewell Health, Life EMS and US Golf Cars. Media sponsors are Star 105.7 and FOX17.

Join our team! Meijer Gardens has a variety of career openings, both full and part time. Please visit MeijerGardens.org/careers for a full listing of opportunities.

Butterflies Are Blooming: Frederik Meijer Gardens announces 29th annual butterfly exhibition

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Environment, Going Local, Kent County, Kids Activities, Local Business, Pets/Animals, Recreation, Upcoming Events, West Michigan, , , , , , ,
Common Morpho (Courtesy, FMG)


By WKTV Staff

deborah@wktv.org


Enjoy an up-close encounter with thousands of unique tropical butterflies as they fly freely throughout the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory!

A global journey

Tailed Jay (Courtesy, FMG)

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park announces the return of the much-loved Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition, now in its 29th year.

The largest temporary tropical butterfly exhibition in the United States, this event showcases the stunning diversity and intricate beauty of butterflies and moths.

Butterflies Are Blooming opens March 1 and runs through April 30. Visitors are invited to celebrate the unique spectacle of lepidopteran flight and the exquisite patterns of their wings in the lush environment of the Conservatory.

This year’s exhibition is a true global journey. More than 60 species from Africa, Asia, and Central and South America will be featured.

The five-story, 15,000-square-foot glass house provides the ideal tropical setting for these vibrant world travelers. Featured species include dazzling blue morphos, stealthy clearwings, majestic Atlas moths and elegant tree nymphs. Each species adds its own unique brushstroke to this living canvas of color and motion.

The science behind butterflies

Butterflies are cold-blooded insects requiring a body temperature of 85–105 degrees Fahrenheit to take flight. The black markings on northern species are not just for show, they are nature’s solar panels, absorbing sunlight to warm these delicate creatures.

Red Lacewing (Courtesy, FMG)

The dual-wing design of butterflies is a marvel of nature’s engineering, providing lift and precise steering. Witness the distinct flight patterns of each species, from the powerful and swift swallowtails to the playful, zigzagging flight of the large-winged morphos.

Up-close experiences

Chrysalides and cocoons can be seen at the Observation Station (Courtesy, FMG)

In addition to the butterflies’ aerial ballet, the exhibition offers guests unique up-close experiences at feeding stations brimming with nectar plants. At the Observation Station, thousands of chrysalides and cocoons emerge and reveal the magic of metamorphosis.

Approximately 1,000 chrysalides are delivered to Meijer Gardens each week of the exhibition. This year, grapevine spheres adorned with flowering vines and other tropical plants were introduced, creating enchanting landing spots for the winged guests.

Begin your journey amidst the tranquil beauty of the Grace Jarecki Seasonal Display Greenhouse, setting the tone for an unforgettable visit.

(Courtesy, Aly Zuiderveen)

“As we eagerly welcome the return of the Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition for its 29th year, we invite guests to immerse themselves in the spectacular world of butterflies and moths here at Meijer Gardens,” said Steve LaWarre, Vice President of Horticulture. “This year’s exhibition is more than just a display; it’s a celebration of the breathtaking beauty of flight.

“Each visit is a unique journey through the vibrant patterns and unique flight dynamics of these enchanting creatures. We’re also thrilled to enhance this experience with special events, educational programs and exclusive member activities.”

FMG invites guests from near and far to join us in celebrating the wonder of these magnificent creatures. The Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition is a vivid reminder of nature’s incredible artistry, the beauty of flight, and the delicate balance of our ecosystem.

(Courtesy, FMG)

Exhibition rules:

  • Please do not touch the butterflies.

  • During the butterfly exhibition, tripods are not allowed in the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory. While monopods may be used, please be courteous to other guests.

  • Per USDA regulations, no butterfly or plant materials may leave the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory.

Extended Hours & Exhibition Activities

  • Extended Spring Break Hours: Open until 9 pm March 29 and April 1–5.
  • Exclusive Member Early Hours: Members enjoy exclusive early open hours every Sunday morning in March and April, from 9–11 a.m.
All ages can enjoy the butterfly experience (Courtesy, FMG)

Volunteers

Various volunteers jobs and shifts are available. Contact Tony England at aengland@meijergardens.org or 616-974-5221.

Online Ticketing

Guests can visit MeijerGardens.org/tickets to reserve and purchase tickets online. When on-site, head directly to the Entry Desk for easy entry.

State of the Child conference on Feb. 23 will discuss challenges facing youth, provide avenues of support

3-bottom, Area Education, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Going Local, Health, How-To's, Kent County, Non-Profits, Our Cities, Upcoming Events, Voices, West Michigan, , , , , , , ,
Local teens collaborate with community experts about how to support today’s youth (Courtesy, WCS)


By Deborah Reed

WKTV Managing Editor

deborah@wktv.org


Youth mental health has been declared a national emergency by the surgeon general.

“Far too many young people are struggling with their mental health and unable to get the support they need,” stated the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2021 Advisory. “We all have a role to play in supporting youth mental health and creating a world where young people thrive.”

Wedgwood Christian Services (WCS) aims to increase awareness of this issue with its upcoming State of the Child (SOTC) event on Friday, Feb. 23 at Frederik Meijer Gardens.

“We feel State of the Child is extremely important,” said Brooke Jevicks, Chief Advancement Officer for WCS. “It’s about increasing awareness, educating ourselves on these important topics and strengthening yourself as an advocate.”

Prevention matters

WCS believes prevention is a key component to helping our youth.

“People need to understand how much prevention can matter. How many things are being caught sooner,” said Jevicks.

SOTC brings together local teens who will express their thoughts to the audience in pre-recorded messages.

The teens will touch on their own personal thoughts and experiences with mental, emotional and physical health. What they are seeing peers deal with regarding stress, anxiety, family life, life online and recognition of healthy v. unhealthy relationships will also be part of the local teens’ message.

Local teens share their experiences and concerns (Courtesy, pxhere.com)

A panel of community leaders will discuss the concerns raised by the teens. Maranda, Children and Family Services Manager for WOOD TV8, will guide the conversation.

The SOTC panel will consist of representatives from the local court system, school system, and healthcare system. A community therapist and a WCS therapist from their residential care program will also join the panel.

An audience Q&A session will follow the panel discussion, succeeded by deep-dive breakout sessions.

Participants will be able to attend a breakout discussion from both Session A and Session B.

Session A topics:

  • Panic Attacks 101
  • Understanding & Overcoming Digital Addiction: A Deep Dive into the Digital World
  • Breath of Fresh Air: The Truth About Vaping

Session B topics:

  • Dating: Then v. Now – Teen Relationships in the Age of Technology
  • Changing the View and Narratives Surrounding Mental Illness & Suicide
  • Unpacking the Invisible Backpack: Understanding the Impact of Childhood Trauma on Young Mental Health

Personal testimony

SOTC is thrilled to feature award-winning mental health advocate and speaker Ross Szabo as keynote speaker.

One of the most sought after mental health speakers in the country, Szabo has spent over half his life finding ways to make mental health approachable.

Diagnosed at age 16 with bipolar disorder, Szabo attempted to take his own life at age 17.

“He really knows what it’s like to suffer internally, and he’s worked hard to turn all of his personal trials into testimonies,” said Jevicks.

As Wellness Director at Geffen Academy at UCLA and CEO of the Human Power Project, Szabo is changing how grades 6-12 learn about their mental health.

“It will be amazing to listen to him talk about how to navigate life’s challenges, and his perspective on how to aid today’s youth,” Jevicks said.

Expert care and services

In addition to the annual SOTC conference, WCS – one of the most highly regarded mental health and behavioral health facilities in Michigan – offers a variety of services and care.

WCS is committed to supporting children and families (Courtesy, pxhere.com)

WCS is known for their residential care, and for taking on the toughest cases for children who have been chronically neglected and physically or sexually abused. All WCS services offer expert, trauma-focused, evidence-based, therapeutic care…and love.

“We are committed to supporting children and families through mental health, emotional health, behavioral health and spiritual health,” said Jevicks. “We have a deep love for the people in our care [and] want to extend Christ-like love and grace to them.”

Among WCS services is a home for youth saved from human trafficking, and an entire certified staff dedicated to helping children overcome addiction.

WCS’s school prevention program, Positive Youth Development (PYD), teaches kids to understand and value their worth through a variety of programming.

“We are doing a lot of really important work to help each child in our care find their true self,” said Jevicks. “Our team reaches thousands of teens with preventative programming.”

Kids = The Future

Support children by educating yourself first (Courtesy, First Steps Kent)

“Kids are our future,” said Jevicks. “They are future leaders, future decision makers, our future coworkers.

“We have to take care of them. In order to take care of them, we have to be doing things like this event. Raising our awareness, educating ourselves, and becoming stronger advocates. Too many people are struggling with their mental health, and it’s not just kids. It’s adults too.”

Futurist Rebecca Ryan recently presented the Top 10 Trends for the Next 10 Years in business to the Economic Club of Grand Rapids. Number ten is normalizing mental health.

“There’s been a lot of effort put into it, but there’s still quite a ways to go,” said Jevicks, adding that there is a lot to be said about businesses being involved in SOTC.

“Businesses should be sending their leaders to [SOTC], and getting a grasp on what today’s youth are facing and dealing with so we can have better benefits in place and better support systems [for] our future employees.”

Value of SOTC

Jevicks said that hearing local kids candidly share their realities at SOTC each year is eye-opening.

“Then community experts and leaders get insight into those barriers and provide practical ways to face those barriers together,” said Jevicks. “You always walk away knowing more than before.”



“Ultimately,” Jevicks continued, “if you have kids, if you work with kids, care about kids, or are invested in the future of our community, you want to attend Wedgwood’s SOTC.

“It takes all of us to positively impact each other and tackle this topic.”

Registration, Sponsorships and Notes

Attendees can receive continuing education credits for attending SOTC. SCECHs are available. CEUs are available pending approval.

WCS says they are grateful to all their sponsors, but specifically Title Sponsor, Fifth Third Bank.

“That’s really helped us be able to bring the speaker in and grow this event, providing more information to people,” said Jevicks.

Register for SOTC and/or become a SOTC sponsor by clicking here.

Frederik Meijer Gardens plants the seed for their 25th annual chrysanthemum exhibition

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, design, Kent County, LANDSCAPING & GARDEN CENTERS, West Michigan, , ,
Chrysanthemums & More! showcases thousands of blossoms in an artful Autumn Tapestry (Courtesy, Johnny Quirin)

By Lauren Konsdorf

WKTV Contributor

Chrysanthemums & More! is underway with its 25th annual exhibition (Courtesy, Frederik Meijer Gardens)

Thousands of blossoms span 158 acres at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park during their 25th annual chrysanthemum exhibition.

Blossoming flowers and phenomenal sculptures may seem like all there is to see at Frederik Meijer Gardens, but their annual Chrysanthemums & More! event is now underway displaying thousands of blossoms in artful tapestry.

“View artfully manipulated patterns of chrysanthemums and enjoy a multitude of textures provided by ornamental cabbage, kale, pumpkins, grasses, gourds, and more,” said Steve LaWarre, Vice President of Horticulture.

A mum column stretches high in a multi-colored display (Courtesy, Peter McDaniel)

From Sept. 15 through Oct. 30, florists and civilians from all over Michigan can enjoy the fall air and take part in the largest exhibition of its kind showcasing chrysanthemums, fall foliage and family-friendly activities.

At home in art and nature, many florists in attendance are showing off their skills while weaving a floral tapestry entitled Autumn Tapestry throughout the Gardens.

Amy Gorman, floral manager and wedding coordinator at Horrocks Market located in Kentwood, participates yearly in the event.

“It’s free advertisement,” Gorman said. “We make a beautiful arrangement for them to display throughout the week.”

Gorman’s involvement in floral design first began in high school, and she has worked in floral ever since. For Gorman, it was more than just taking a class.

Gorman’s Chrysanthemums & More! design consists of many different colors; rose, peach, orange, burgundy, and black.

The Glow Garden is a fun evening event for visitors (Courtesy, Frederik Meijer Gardens)

Designs for this event are inspired by geometric patterns, uncommon color combinations, and the repetition of formal garden styles. Each flower has been hand-picked to create the tapestry.

The Grand Entry Garden, Welcome Center, and Gunberg and BISSELL Corridors showcase the tapestry and plantings among the horticulture staff and florists.

Exhibition programs include Fashion and Nature, Sept. 24 from 2-3 p.m.; Weaving with Nature, Oct. 1 from 2-3 p.m.; Fall Family Day, Oct. 7 from 1-4 p.m.; Hallowee-ones, Oct. 20 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m.; and much more.

Enjoy the crisp fall air outdoors and attend the must-see exhibition Fredrik Meijer Gardens has to offer!



Lauren is a senior at Central Michigan University and is studying Broadcast and Cinematic Arts with double minors in Journalism and Communications. She is a radio host for a specialty show on 101.1 The Beat, and is Promotions Video Editor for WCMU Public Media. She loves animals, community service, being on camera, and hopes to become a lifestyle reporter or host after college.

Meijer Gardens celebrates the holidays with 42 international traditions

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Holidays, Kids Activities, Senior Living, Upcoming Events,

Photo courtesy Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

 

By Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

 

Experience the joy of the holidays at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park with the annual Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around the World exhibition on display from Nov. 20 through Jan. 6, 2019. Guests from all over the world visit Meijer Gardens to experience 42 Christmas and holiday trees and displays representing countries and cultures from across the globe. The always favorite and enchanting Railway Garden and the holiday wonderland that encompasses it will once again wind its way through three lush indoor garden spaces, including the recently renovated Grace Jarecki Seasonal Display Greenhouse.

 

Guests are invited to ring in the holiday season with our most beloved winter exhibition. It’s the season of joy! This year Meijer Gardens celebrates how our community and communities around the world joyfully commemorate the diverse and generations-old traditions that remain vibrant today. Visitors will experience a world of cultural celebrations, represented across 42 different displays that explore folklore and fact, past and present.

 

In many cultures, the holidays bring people together in distinct and memorable ways that are difficult to capture in a display. New this year, Meijer Gardens is presenting a wondrous original film, joy, that explores the diverse festive fabric that is holiday life across our local communities. This film will be shown continuously in the Hoffman Family Auditorium and is available on the Meijer Gardens YouTube channel as well. “This year we take note of how our community joyfully commemorates the diverse, generations-old traditions that remain vibrant today though joy, a new film exploring the festive fabric that is holiday life across our local community,” said Maureen Nollette, Annual Exhibitions Assistant Designer.

 

Each winter, Meijer Gardens transforms into a botanic wonderland with fresh poinsettias, orchids, and amaryllis. The smell of evergreens as visitors enter the building and the sounds of carolers make it a place to reflect and enjoy the holiday season. Indoors and out, trees sparkle with 300,000 colorful lights. More than 500 volunteers lovingly decorate the trees and displays.

 

Photo courtesy Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

The unique horticultural artistry of the beloved Railway Garden complements the model trolleys, trains and handcrafted buildings replicating 30 Grand Rapids landmarks. Visitors will find familiarity in the Fifth Third Ballpark replica building with its light posts made of willow, as well as striking hydrangea petals that make up the iconic glass tower of the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. Five landmarks from Grand Rapids sister cities around the world are also represented in the Railway Garden.

 

“This holiday season, guests have a special opportunity to see how our community joyfully celebrates a variety of traditions from centuries ago that remain vibrant today,” said Steve LaWarre, Director of Horticulture. “These traditions are wonderful, celebratory aspects of West Michigan’s diversity and community.”

 

Mainstays of the exhibition include the Germany tree, adorned with handmade glass ornaments and homemade springerle cookies, the England tree—with antique Christmas cards and mistletoe—and the beautiful Eid ul-Fitr display, which celebrates the end of Ramadan.

 

A variety of family-friendly activities are offered throughout the exhibition.

 

Exhibition Activities

  • Extended Holiday Hours: Open until 9 pm on Dec. 17,18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28 and 29. (PLEASE NOTE: Meijer Gardens is CLOSED on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day).
  • The Original Dickens Carolers: Tuesdays: Nov. 20 and 27, Dec. 4, 11, 18, 6-8 pm
  • Santa Visits: Tuesdays: Nov. 20 and 27, Dec. 4, 11, 18, 5-8 pm
  • Rooftop Reindeer: Saturdays: Nov. 24, Dec. 1, 8, 15, 22, 1-4 pm
  • Christmas Cabaret Gala: Thursday, Dec. 6, 6 pm (RSVP required)
  • Winter-Time Walks: (Nov. 20-Jan. 5, 2019)
    Tuesdays 10:15am and 11:15am, Saturdays 11:15am
    Fee: Included with admission
    Winter in the Lena Meijer Children’s Garden can be chilly, but fun! Bundle up and join us on an outdoor interactive discovery walk to investigate the Children’s Garden in new ways. We’ll explore different winter themes and gather in a cozy spot to learn about winter with stories, kid-friendly conversation, and other activities.
  • Christmas and Holiday Themed Classes: Enjoy festive learning opportunities for adults and families. Fees apply. Visit MeijerGardens.org/calendar for more information.

Go here for more information.

 

WKTV Journal: Kelloggsville and KDL form a partnership, Mark Wood visits Kentwood Public Schools

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, , , ,

 

In the recent WKTV Journal newscast, we talk to officials from Kelloggsville Public School and the Kent District Library about the new collaborative project to make the Kelloggsville High School library open to everyone in the community. We also visit the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park for a look at its 23rd annual Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around the Word exhibition. Lastly, renowned musician and original member of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Mark Woods visits Kentwood Public Schools for a concert that was electrifying and had everyone dancing, especially the musicians.

Meijer Gardens’ Rodin+ ArtPrize exhibit brings world of figurative sculpture to town

3-bottom, Entertainment, Local Entertainment, Upcoming Events, , , , ,

Rolf Jacobsen’s work in Meijer Gardens’ “Rodin and the Contemporary Figurative Tradition” exhibit.

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

You can easily call turn-of-the-20th Century French artist Auguste Rodin the “father” of modern figurative sculpture — Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park chief curator Joseph Becherer, no casual commentator on the subject, certainly does. But it would be a mistake classify Rodin as a “realistic” figurative artist.

 

And it would be disappointing to the viewer to assume the Garden’s ArtPrize exhibit, “Rodin and the Contemporary Figurative Tradition”, is filled with realistic artwork glorifying the human body in the styles of the classic Greco-Roman, neoclassical and Renaissance traditions.

 

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park chief curator Joseph Becherer. (Courtesy Ohio Today)

With both several works by Rodin and the works of 17 contemporary figurative sculptors and video artists in an exhibition, the Gardens and Becherer brings to town a show ranging from absolute reality of the human form, to the abstract, to the nearly absurd.

 

“Rodin was a figurative artist — he did not do landscapes, he did not enter into abstraction, he didn’t do still life or some of the other objects that one could have done,” Becherer said to WKTV. His work “helped to set a parameter, set the definition, of what is ‘figurative” and one of the reasons it is so broad (today) is because it is based on what Rodin did. … it is of the figure.”

 

Anders Krisar’s work in Meijer Gardens’ “Rodin and the Contemporary Figurative Tradition” exhibit.

That “broadness” of figurative art Becherer is on full display at the Meijer Gardens show through — to scratch the surface — the startling yet somehow soothing split-image bodies of Anders Krisár, the eerily familiar disembodied faces of Natalia Arbelaez (“Game of Thrones” fan, anyone?), and a simple-yet-complex work by Rolf Jacobsen that forces the viewer to look closer, to think deeper.

 

“Rodin and the Contemporary Figurative Tradition” is free to the public through the run of this year’s ArtPrize, Sept. 20 to Oct. 8, and then will continue on display through Jan. 7, 2018.

 

Natalia Arbelaez’ work in Meijer Gardens’ “Rodin and the Contemporary Figurative Tradition” exhibit.

While each of the modern artists, and their works can be taken in a modern context — and can be voted upon by the public and judges for ArtPrize awards — the show offers evidence of how each artist was impacted by Rodin either directly or indirectly.

 

“This year marks Rodin’s centenary and Meijer Gardens celebrates the remarkable impact of his legacy through the work of (these) seventeen contemporary artists,” Becherer, who is also vice president of exhibitions and collections at the Gardens, said in supplied material.

 

“This exhibition allows us to explore the boldly impactful way he has inspired major aesthetic trends even today. From representations of figure to use of materials, these selected works allow us to understand both an historic icon and the vitality of the figurative tradition today,” Becherer said.

 

Rodin — full name François Auguste René Rodin (1840–1917) — was born in Paris to a working-class family, applied unsuccessfully to the city’s prestigious École des Beaux Arts three times, in no small part due to his movement away from a Neoclassical style of sculpture.

 

But from almost the moment of the unveiling of his first major piece, “Age of Bronze”, the sculptural art form was never the same.

 

And a miniature cast that work, in fact, is not only part of the current show but is the curator’s favorite of the several Rodin works on loan from the Grand Rapids Art Museum, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Snite Museum of Art and the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

 

“The Age of Bronze” is not only one of Rodin’s major works, it sets the tone of breaking the definition of “figurative” sculpture.

“The one that I really had my heart set on was the ‘Age of Bronze’, at the introduction, because, you know, for me, it really sets this whole exhibition up because it sets up Rodin as this innovator. The one who broke the rules,” Becherer said to WKTV.

 

“When you approach it, it looks very classical, it looks Greco-Roman or something like that. But when you really study it, when you really see it in a scale model, you realize it is sort of awkward, it is sort of tripping into space. It has a kind of rough, but realistic animation to it. … I really wanted this sort of revolution to be here and to welcome people. And it was great opportunity to partner with the DIA (Detroit Institute of Art).”

 

“Rodin and the Contemporary Figurative Tradition” is recognized as one of the official centenary events of 2017 by the Musée Rodin, Paris and the international Rodin Centenary Commission, Centenaire: Rodin 100 — putting the Grand Rapids museum in the same select group as Paris’ Grand Palais and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 

The exhibit, after ArtPrize closes, will include an outdoor guided sketching event on Oct. 20 focused on Rodin’s “Eve”, one of the cornerstones of the Garden’s permanent  collection, and a discussion by Becherer on Nov. 5 titled “The Rodin Revolution, In and Out of Context”.

For more information on Meijer Gardens and its ArtPrize exhibit, visit meijergardens.org.

 

The butterflies spring out at Meijer Gardens starting March 1

3-bottom, Kids Activities, Local Entertainment, Recreation, Upcoming Events, ,

Butterflies of all colors and patterns will be flying around Meijer Gardens’ tropical conservatory starting March 1. (Supplied)

WKTV Staff

 

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park’s tropical conservatory, starting Wednesday, March 1, will be home to the first of more than 7,000 tropical butterflies that will be hatched and start flying around the heads of both children and adults alike.

 

Can’t you just see the Facebook photo?

 

Butterflies are Blooming runs through April 30. The annual show attracted more than 170,000 visitors last year.

 

With butterflies from Africa, Asia, South America and Central America, Butterflies Are Blooming is the largest temporary tropical butterfly exhibition in the nation, according to Meijer Gardens.

 

The Atlas moth (not really a butterfly, but big and beautiful) will be making an appearance. (Supplied Meijer Gardens/William Hebert)

Approximately 60 colorful species will be flying freely in the five-story, 15,000 square-foot Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory, wherein the 85-degrees and 70-percent humidity environment mimics tropical regions that the butterflies call home.

 

“Our exhibition this year celebrates shape and pattern,” Steve LaWarre, director of horticulture, said in supplied material. “The butterflies and the natural environment of the conservatory are wonderful examples of how these patterns reveal themselves all around us. This exhibition provides a superb opportunity for our guests to view caterpillars, wings, flowers and foliage with a renewed appreciation for the world around us.”

 

Species of butterflies expected to arrive include the blue Common Morpho, whose iridescence impresses in flight; brushfoot varieties such as the Clearwing, Lacewing and Zebra Mosaic; the “Longwings” such as the Small Blue Grecian, Doris, Postman and Tiger butterflies; and the “Gliders” such as the Emperor, Ruby-spotted and Tropical Swallowtails.

 

Special related events include “Who Am I?” A Butterfly Ballet”, with two shows on both March 4 and March 18, a program performed by the Grand Rapids Ballet Junior Company; as well as Tuesday Night Lights, running each week throughout the exhibit’s run, where visitors bring their flashlights to find the butterflies at rest throughout the conservatory.

 

For more information visit MeijerGardens.org.

 

Meijer Gardens gives a taste of summer with early concert announcements

3-bottom, Entertainment, Local Entertainment, Upcoming Events, , , ,

St. Paul & The Broken Bones will be on the Meijer Gardens concert schedule this summer. (Supplied Meijer Gardens/David McClister)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

The catchline for Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park summer concert series goes something like “It’s how you know its summer.” So it seems appropriate that after an almost summer-like run of weather over the weekend the Gardens gave us a tease of summer with the announcement of three of the acts coming to the Fifth Third Bank Summer Concerts at Meijer Gardens 2017 concert series.

 

On Monday, Meijer Gardens announced that up-and-coming Southern soul powerhouse St. Paul & The Broken Bones will be in town on June 9; the sweet sounds of Four Voices: Joan Baez, Mary Chapin Carpenter and the Indigo Girls will hit the stage on June 12; and the classic rock (and so much more) music of Jethro Tull by Ian Anderson will make a rare small-venue visit on Aug. 18.

 

Members of Meijer Gardens members pre-sale period will be April 29 through May 12 this season, with general public sale Starting May 13.

 

The Four Voices concert, led by the grand-dame of folk music Baez, will undoubtedly be a night of lovely songs and lovely voices in harmony, and just hearing Tull founder and frontman Anderson dancing around with flute in hand will be worth the price of admission on a hot August night.

 

But the scheduling of St. Paul & the Broken Bones will likely be one of those “I heard them first at the gardens” kind of events.

 

Led by vocalist Paul Janeway, the Bones gained notice with their single “Call Me” off their debut recording “Half the City” from 2013, but after opening for the Rolling Stones on a few dates in 2015 and the playing the Glastonbury Festival last year, they are really getting a buzz going with their second album, “Sea of Noise”, from last year.

 

For lack of a better label, the band is often called a  “gospel-tinged, retro-soul garage” band and hailing from Birmingham, Ala., and the sextet certainly has its southern soul credentials in order — including not being afraid to do an Otis Reading cover to two.

 

The new album also marks a little more depth of music and depth of songwriting for the band and Janeway.

 

“Sea of Noise,” Janeway says on the band’s website in describing the album, “is not quite a full-blown concept record. It is focused in terms of subject matter — finding redemption and salvation and hope. (The single) ‘Crumbling Light Posts’ comes from an old Winston Churchill quote, in which he said England was a crumbling lighthouse in a sea of darkness. I always thought that was a really interesting concept — that we’re falling anyway. In this day and age, it is the noise that has defined so many things. We’re going to fall to it eventually, but for now we feel like our heads are above water.”

 

It is likely that the audience at Meijer Gardens will be glad they dove into the deep southern water with the Bones this summer.

 

For more information on the concert series, visit meijergardens.org

Ai Weiwei at Meijer Gardens: Where art, social activism meld

3-bottom, Entertainment, Local Entertainment, Politics, , , , , ,

Ai Weiwei self portrait surrounded by supporters and police. (Supplied)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

When asked about the artist Ai Weiwei, Ping Liang — board chair of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, international businesswoman, and a Chinese-American with a deep understanding of modern Chinese culture — readily defers artistic questions to the Garden’s chief curator.

 

But both she and Joseph Antenucci Becherer, who serves as Meijer Gardens vice president in addition to his curatorial duties, understand that to appreciate Weiwei one must go deeper than simply his art. One must understand his history and his culture, especially his social activism both inside his rigidly controlled home county and around the world.

 

Ping Liang, board chair of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, and chief curator Joseph Antenucci Becherer, in the main gallery of the exhibit “Ai Weiwei at Meijer gardens: Natural State”. (WKTV)

 

“I came to know Ai Weiwei’s reputation through the 2008 Olympic stadium, called the Bird’s Nest. At that time, his name wasn’t taken in a very good light because of the Chinese media, which is very controlled,” Liang said, as she and Becherer sat together with WKTV recently and dove deep into the exhibition Ai Weiwei at Meijer Gardens: Natural State, which is running though Aug. 20.

 

Detail “Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn” in Legos image. (Supplied)

“We only knew him, according to the Chinese media, as a person who purposely broke a very valuable antique jar. We also heard he used vulgar language, kind of insults, purposely. So, I didn’t really know too much about him. Of course, when Joe, here, talked (to us) about Ai Weiwei, as an artist, I was like ‘Wow!’”

 

And as she dug a little deeper, what Liang found was much more than simply an artist as portrayed by the Chinese media.

 

“He has this very famous family, particularly his father, Ai Ching, a very famous poet in China, and how his family suffered during the Cultural Revolution, even though his father was a very prominent and early Communist Party member,” she said. “And when we look at some of (Weiwei’s) artwork, the insults, and some of the themes, I started to understand. He is actually a social activist. That was very rare in China.”

 

‘Everything is politics’

 

Becherer, too, advocates for an understanding of the artist’s politics as well as his art — it is no coincidence that one of Ai Weiwei’s most well known sayings is “Everything is art. Everything is politics.” Blending his art and his politics is, in fact, the “natural state” of Weiwei’s world.

 

Joseph Becherer, Meijer Gardens vice president and chief curator. (WKTV)

“I think it always makes it more meaningful to know something about an artist’s biography when you are looking at their painting or their sculpture or whatever their work happens to be, because we all carry some part of us with us into whatever it is we do for a profession,” Becherer said. “With someone like Weiwei, it is probably more of an extreme, because for him art and life are inseparable.”

 

Becherer, in an essay accompanying the exhibit, states that Ai Weiwei’s art was influenced by, among others factors, his father’s life and clashes with the government, the artist’s growing up isolated from modern industrial China and being influenced by “traditions and artisan efforts of rural China,” followed by his emersion into Beijing’s late 1970s youthful avantgarde and his spending much of the 1980s in New York City before retiring to Beijing in 1993 when his father fell ill.

 

Maybe most importantly, however, Ai Weiwei’s art is influenced by increased use of social media and increased social activism — including his criticism of the Chinese government in the aftermath of the 2008’s Sichuan earthquake.

 

“In the following years,” Becherer’s essay states, “Ai Weiwei came under surveillance and was beaten, hospitalized and denied the right to travel. In 2011, he was arrested and mysteriously detained for 81 days, to the shock of the international cultural community.”

 

It was not long after that Ai Weiwei become a worldwide cause célèbre — and Becherer and Meijer Gardens began their interest and relationship with the artist as part of the the Garden’s pursuit of acquiring the massive sculpture “Iron Tree”.

 

Ai Weiwei’s “Iron Tree” has been on display for two years, but now an extensive exhibition of the artist’s works is on view. (Supplied)

“We started visiting Weiwei more than three and a half years ago, it was initially about acquiring ‘Iron Tree’,” Becherer said during the recent interview about his first meeting with the artist, who was practically under house arrest at the time. “Our process has always been that we try to engage directly with the artist. We want to understand, obviously, how the artist is living, how things come together, how things came to be. So, we began out of that, the very beginning, a sincere desire to know more about him. … It started out in one way, but it evolved and this exhibition was the result.”

 

And the exhibition is another example of Ai Weiwei’s continuing evolution.

 

“He seems to be more and more engaged in universal ideas,” Becherer said. “He seems to be more engaged with global concepts of freedom of speech and human rights. So it (his art), yes, is still related to his biography and, yes, it is related to his nationality and his heritage. But he seems to be more comfortable with the world stage.”

 

Now on the world stage

 

In July 2015, Ai Weiwei’s passport was returned and he was able to travel once again. Today, he divides his time between Beijing and Berlin, where he maintains studios.

 

It was in Berlin, in 2009, that Ai Weiwei created a massive exhibit of 9,000 children’s backpacks on the side of a building, backpacks which represented the number of children who lost their lives in the Sichuan earthquake — with colored backpacks spelling out “For seven years she lived happy on this earth,” a sentence with which a mother commemorated her daughter.

 

And the artist’s focus on social activism, and his influence both in and outside of China, has not changed according to Liang, who has more than 30 years experience in international business including extensive work in China and throughout Asia as managing director of AlphaMax Advisors LLC as well as serving on the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan. She says Ai Weiwei’s example and causes have greatly impacted her and many of her friends and business associates around the world.

 

Ping Liang, board chair of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. (WKTV)

“Now I realize he actually inspired the birth of modern social activism in China,” Liang said. “He and his friends were so active when Sichuan earthquake took place, and the aftermath, when thousands of young children were killed. I remember seeing, on global media as well as Chinese media, the devastation, the building collapsed, and the cry of parents whose only children lost their lives in this earthquake. … Now I look back, I understand that he was trying to raise people’s awareness about what really happened. What you really need to know. This should not be kept as a secret. That is why I describe him as an inspiration for the very beginning of social awareness and activism.

 

“In terms of his impact on the world, it is huge,” she added. “When I travel around the world, everybody talks about Ai Weiwei … People realize he was actually trying to get social justice for the earthquake victims. Actually, because of that a lot of Chinese, overseas Chinese, started donating to the earthquake victims. And a lot of young people started volunteering for non-profit organizations. I thought that was just tremendous. This is the impact he has had.”

 

Ai Weiwei at Meijer Gardens: Natural State is more than 30 works including iconic works from the artist’s repertoire and work specific to Meijer Gardens located in galleries, conservatories, public spaces and the auditorium. For more information visit meijergardens.org .

 

Expansive, impressive Ai Weiwei exhibit opens at Meijer Gardens

Entertainment, Kids Activities, Local Entertainment, Politics, , , ,

Ai Weiwei’s long-anticipated show at Meijer Gardens will open to the public on Jan. 27. (Supplied)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

Two years after giving the West Michigan arts community a beautifully patinaed example of the power of renowned Chinese artist and social activist Ai Weiwei, in the form of the stunning “Iron Tree”,  the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park will open to the public its long-anticipated exhibition Ai Weiwei at Meijer Gardens: Natural State on Friday, Jan. 27.

 

Ai Weiwei’s “Iron Tree” has been on display for two years but now an extensive exhibition of the artist’s works will be on view. (Supplied)

In total, more than 30 works — including iconic works from the artist’s repertoire and work specific to Meijer Gardens — will be sited in galleries, conservatories, public spaces and the auditorium.

 

“I am looking forward to the exhibition at Meijer Gardens and to share my work and ideas in this unique place,” Ai Weiwei said in supplied material. “I appreciate that they are so committed to my work; they even acquired Iron Tree in 2015. This opportunity to bring an exhibition to Michigan is something I greatly anticipate.”

 

The public should also “greatly anticipate” the show as well, according to David S. Hooker, President and CEO of Meijer Gardens — for purely artistic enjoyment as well as intersecting with the artist’s unique political and social esthetic.

 

“Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is pleased beyond words to host this major exhibition, Ai Weiwei’s first ever in a botanical garden or sculpture park,” Hooker said in supplied material. “It will be an opportunity for hundreds of thousands of people to enjoy his vision and boundless creativity … (and his) compelling life story that is told through his art.”

 

The title of the exhibition — “Natural State” — underscores the relationship between the artist and the venue, according to supplied material, combining the artist’s use of the natural materials in his works, set in the often natural settings of Meijer Gardens, but pushing those natural materials into unique states of being: personal, historical, social, political. Materials such as ceramics, silk, bamboo and wood become symbols of Ai Weiwei’s views on humankind in his native China and around the world.

 

Ai Weiwei’s “Taifeng” will be part of a series of natural material sculptures on display. (Supplied)

The exhibition will use four gallery spaces, four indoor conservatories, the auditorium and numerous public areas at Meijer Gardens. And many of the works will be placed not only in the artist’s unique vision but in context to their surroundings, including having five monumental sculptural bodies derived from ancient Chinese mythological text — “Taifeng”, “Dijiang”, “Shuyu”, “Mingshe” and “Shusi” — shown in a “scenic corridor” outside the normal gallery spaces.

 

“Having worked with Ai Weiwei for many years and in venues across the world, it has been a pleasure to see him focused on the very distinguished and unique circumstances of Meijer Gardens,” Greg Hilty, curatorial director of Lisson Gallery, said in supplied material. “The work carefully selected by the artist and thoughtfully installed at this venue offers a truly memorable experience.”

 

Lisson Gallery, out of New York City, collaborated with Meijer Gardens on the Ai Weiwei exhibition, as it did with a previous show of the works of Anish Kapoor.

 

A full list of exhibition activities can be found at www.meijergardens.org/aww

For videos associated with the show, visit Meijer Gardens on YouTube.

 

Meijer Gardens gains gift of sculptor Pepper’s artistic archive

3-bottom, Entertainment, ,

Untitled; Studies for Stainless Steel Sculptures by Beverly Pepper. (Supplied)

WKTV staff

 

Iconic American sculptor Beverly Pepper — whose monumental sculpture “Galileo’s Wedge” dominates one area of the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park — is giving the Grand Rapids area a present on her 94th birthday.

 

“Galileo’s Wedge” (2009) by Beverly Pepper, measuring roughly 35 feet in height. (Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park/William J. Hebert)

Meijer Gardens today announced the gift to its permanent collection of Pepper’s expansive print and drawing archives. The collection includes works spanning seven decades of of her artistic life including hundreds of drawings, prints, works on paper and notebooks – many containing sketches of her major sculptural endeavors.

 

Also Tuesday, Meijer Gardens announced it will host a retrospective exhibition of work drawn from the archives in early 2018.

 

“The enormity of Beverly Pepper’s gift cannot be understated,” Joseph Becherer, chief curator and vice president of Meijer Gardens, said in supplied material. “Drawing has been an integral part of her artistic practice, but like her printmaking, is little known even to scholars.”

 

Beverly Pepper at her studio. (Supplied/George Tatge)

Pepper is renowned for her monumental works which often incorporate industrial metals such as iron, bronze and stainless steel, as well as stone. Meijer Gardens engagement with the artist began with 2009 commission of the “Galileo’s Wedge.”

 

Explaining the reason for her gift was made clear in a supplied statement by Pepper: “To have in one location a space to study, compare and sequence my drawings and prints is an exceptional opportunity; I am most grateful to leave this record and have the curatorial team there looking after my work.”

 

Pepper works are part of the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., Les Jardins du Palais Royal in Paris, France and The Museum of Modern Art in Sapporo, Japan.

 

Review: Lake Street Dive (and Darlingside) at Meijer Gardens

3-bottom, Local Entertainment, , , ,

Now familiar to the Meijer Gardens summer concert series after their second visit in three years, Lake Street Dive – from left, Michael Olson, Rachel Price, Bridget Kearney and Michael Calabrese – is a band of eclectic sounds and songs. (Supplied photo)
Now familiar to the Meijer Gardens summer concert series after their second visit in three years, Lake Street Dive – from left, Michael Olson, Rachel Price, Bridget Kearney and Michael Calabrese – is a band of eclectic sounds and songs. (Supplied photo)

30-second Review

 

Lake Street Dive, with Darlingside opening, Aug. 24 at Meijer Gardens amphitheater.

 

Lake Street Dive is a band of a multitude of musical styles and a sound much bigger than its lean four-member lineup would suggest – and the Brooklyn-based band’s choice of covers included as part of its nearly two-hour, 21-song set Wednesday was clear evidence of both. From a fun-filled, mostly loyal-to-the-original version of the Kinks “Lola”, to Prince’s “When You Were Mine” – a soulful version with a great standup base solo intro by Bridget Kearney, to an encore closing blast of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, Lake Street Dive and most especially lead singer Rachel Price showed off their versatility. Among the highlights of the band’s original songs were a bluesy/gospel sounding “Godawful Things” as their opening number, “Mistakes” with Michael Olson stepping away from his guitar to his trumpet, and the soulful “Rental Love” – the first two off the band’s great 2016 release Side Pony and the last off 2014’s Bad Self Portraits.

 

May I have more, please?

 

Darlingside put on a surprising and pleasing opening set focused on harmonies, a single vocal mic and an alt folk sound reminiscent of the Avett Brothers or Mumford and Sons. (Suppled photo)
Darlingside put on a surprising and pleasing opening set focused on harmonies, a single vocal mic and an alt folk sound reminiscent of the Avett Brothers or Mumford and Sons. (Suppled photo)

Another great example of the multitude of musical styles the audience at Meijer Gardens was witness to was a surprising, might I say stunning, opening eight-song, 45-minute opening set by Massachusetts-based quartet Darlingside.

 

Described by NPR as bringing a “baroque folk-pop” sound – and I can do no better for definition – Darlingside’s sound featured single microphone vocal harmonies, sparse percussion sound sans a drummer, but acoustically superb use of strings other than guitar and banjo. On their latest recording, 2015’s Birds Say, bassist Dave Senft, guitarist and banjo player Don Mitchell, classical violinist and folk mandolinist Auyon Mukharji, and cellist and guitarist Harris Paseltiner have created a sound that reminds one of the Avett Brothers or Mumford and Sons, but really sounds like nothing I’ve heard before.

 

The band had me at its a cappella opening “The God of Loss” from Birds Say and cemented my attraction with its set-ending “Blow the House Down” from 2012’s Pilot Machines, the band’s debut recording.

 

After first running across the band when they were still students at Williams College in western Massachusetts in 2012, I can’t wait to fill in the blanks in my CD cabinet and keep a watch on their continued and justified exposure.

 

Looking Ahead

 

What’s up next with the Fifth Third Bank Summer Concerts at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: the sold-out Seal on Aug. 31, with tickets available only for the rescheduled Tears for Fears on Sept. 26.

 

Schedule and more info:

meijergardens.org/calendar/summer-concerts-at-meijer-gardens

Review: Grace Potter at Meijer Gardens

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, , , ,

Grace Potter, with her Gibson Signature Flying V electric guitar, kept the crowd on its feet Wednesday at Meijer Gardens. (Supplied photo)
Grace Potter, with her Gibson Signature Flying V electric guitar, kept the crowd on its feet Wednesday at Meijer Gardens. (Supplied photo)

30-second Review

 

Grace Potter, Aug. 3 at Meijer Gardens amphitheater.

 

After a pleasing and energetic seven-song, 35-minute opening set by Brynn Elliott (she had me by coming out a cappella to start but her snippet of U2 imbedded in “Lose Control” cemented it), Potter and her mostly non-Nocturnal band hit the stage before 8 p.m., played right up to the 10 p.m. “fire marshal” closing time at the Gardens. The 17 (or so) song set was highlighted by a mix of songs from her 2015 retro rock solo album “Midnight”, a steady stream of her varied work from her “ … and the Nocturnals” recordings, and a couple trips into jam-band deep space. Highlights for me “Look What We’ve Become” from her “Midnight” – with her shredding on her Gibson Signature Flying V electric guitar – and the gentle, sweet, Nocturnal days’ “Stars” to open her encore. Bottom line is that on a hot August night, Potter and her big, bad rock ‘n’ roll band had most of the crowd on its feet almost from start to finish, and those that didn’t shouldn’t have been there anyway.

 

Grace Potter, with her Gibson Signature Flying V electric guitar, kept the crowd on its feet Wednesday at Meijer Gardens. (Supplied photo)
Grace Potter, with her Gibson Signature Flying V electric guitar, kept the crowd on its feet Wednesday at Meijer Gardens. (Supplied photo)

May I have more, please?

 

Grace Potter, with her Nocturnals, cut their Vermont polished teeth by touring on the jam band circuit (with the likes of Dead Head heir and fellow Vermonters Phish), but as proved by her newest solo recording, she is really more in the rock diva mold of Stevie Nicks in her late 1970s and early 1980s Fleetwood Mac – ya, I know that dates me, but such are the joys of long life.

 

Potter’s style on stage is all free-flowing, hippy-dippy girl glamor, but when she rocks, she really rocks hard. Whether it is dancing around barefoot while one of her bandmates goes off (special note to Benny Yurco’s guitar work) or when she is playing her own guitar leads or pounding on the Hammond B3 organ, Potter is at her best when she is bigger than life reveling in her retro rock babe stardom.

 

When she comes on-stage, all big and bad and bold, she is all “Here I am, ready to party with me?” On songs like the “Paris (Ooh La La)” and “The Lion the Beast the Beat” she is larger than life; she is “the star” and she knows it. When she accepts a bouquet of flowers from a middle-age fan, or a bra of unknown origin (she, clearly, has admirers and ardent admirers), she flaunts her trophies. But, as any good hippy-dippy girl is capable, she knows how to speak from the heart, and for the heart of our hippy-dippy planet, as on the fine new track “The Miner.”

 

But whether hitting it hard or playing it smooth on the vocals, Potter – like Nicks used to do so long ago – gives the audience all she has. Borrowing from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as Potter did, “Give it away, give it away, give it away now!”

 

Looking Ahead

 

What’s up next with the Fifth Third Bank Summer Concerts at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: War and Los Lonely Boys on Aug. 10, with tickets still available; also with tickets available are Toto on Aug. 6 and the rescheduled Tears for Fears on Sept. 26.

 

— K.D. Norris

 

Schedule and more info: meijergardens.org/calendar/summer-concerts-at-meijer-gardens

 

Free concerts on Tuesday nights (through August): http://www.meijergardens.org/calendar/tuesday-evening-music-club/

 

Review: Jackson Browne at Meijer Gardens

3-bottom, Entertainment, , , ,

 

Jackson Browne performed June 27 at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
Jackson Browne performed June 27 at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

30-second Review

 

Jackson Browne, June 27 at Meijer Gardens amphitheater.

 

With no opening act, and hitting the stage with little fanfare at just after 7 p.m., Jackson Browne and his tight, talented supporting band, played a professional and pleasing 21-song, 2-hour and 20-minute set starting with “Rock Me on the Water” and ending with his 1970s and 1980s classic-rock standards “The Pretender” and “Running on Empty” before an anti-climactic encore of two songs. The high point for most of the age-appropriate audience was him playing the decades old pop/rock songs they paid good money to hear. The highlight for me were two songs in the middle of the set I had never heard before: “Walls and Doors,” a translated cover of a song by a Cuban singer he met several years ago and “For a Dancer,” a song written for a gay friend who passed away too young – and a song Browne dedicated from the stage to victims and survivors of the Orlando mass shooting. “For Orlando,” he said. “For all of us. For our Country.”

 

May I have more, please?

 

Few performers on the American music scene, short of maybe Bruce Springsteen, is more aware and active in social issues as Jackson Browne – and Browne, in fact, was singing songs of social commentary if not outright rebellion when The Boss was still dancing in the dark.

 

So it was pleasing to see Browne still offering up a little something to think about, rather than just remanence about, during his concert Monday night.

 

Oh, the now 67-year-old delivered most of the hits people remember, and sang along to, from a career that started in the early 1970s, including the pop/rock classics that landed him in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Being also of an age, I still have a thing for “Doctor My Eyes” and “Fountain of Sorrow” but still can pass on his love songs such as “Somebody’s Baby” – although it was sweet, at the gardens on Monday, that he dedicated the song to a young girl in the audience who, with her mother, was calling for the song early in the set.

 

But, really, Browne has always been and will always be more of a social/political singer/songwriter who made it big in the seventies and eighties on soft rock and pop/rock radio. He may actually be the last singer/songwriter from that era still standing and producing new material. His excellent “Walls and Doors,” written by Cuban singer/songwriter Carlos Varela, as well as the haunting “The Birds of St. Marks,” from his 14th studio recording, 2014’s Standing in the Breach, prove Browne and his music has aged well and he is not a pretender when it comes to his musical integrity.

 

From the concert on Monday, special note also needs to be given to some fine work by Browne’s guitar players, Val McCallum and Greg Leisz, whose work on the lap steel and pedal steel was sterling.

 

— K.D. Norris

 

Looking Ahead

Fifth Third Bank Summer Concerts at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park tickets still available (some limited numbers) are Femi Kuti & The Positive Force Band on July 20, Jay Leno on July 28, War and Los Lonely Boys on Aug. 10, Seal on Aug. 26, and the rescheduled Tears for Fears on Sept. 26.

 

Schedule and more info:

 

meijergardens.org/calendar/summer-concerts-at-meijer-gardens

 

Free concerts on Tuesday nights (starting in July): http://www.meijergardens.org/calendar/tuesday-evening-music-club/

Meijer Gardens Japanese Garden: drum beats signal continued growth on first anniversary

3-bottom, Entertainment, Upcoming Events, , ,

meijergardensOne part of the newest slogan for Meijer Gardens is “Always Growing” – which is apt on the upcoming first anniversary of The Richard & Helen DeVos Japanese Garden, considering much of the landscaping of the garden is filling in beautifully in its second growing season under public viewing.

 

Even more than the Japanese Garden’s next-door neighbor, David Nash’s Sabre Larch Hill – which will take several years to show its true artistic pedigree as the patterned tree palette fills in – the tranquil growth of the oriental landscape is evident to even the casual observer.

 

The taiko drummers of “Ongaku: The Echoes of Japan,” who will be performing in the amphitheater at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. (Supplied photo)
The taiko drummers of “Ongaku: The Echoes of Japan,” who will be performing in the amphitheater at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. (Supplied photo)

To celebrate the oriental garden’s continued growth, and the first anniversary of its opening, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park on Tuesday, June 21, will offer a full day of family-friendly activities, music and dance performances, and demonstrations and lectures focused on horticulture and sculpture. All events are included in admission for the public.

 

The events, within and outside the oriental garden itself, include: showings of “The Journey Begins: The Making of The Richard & Helen DeVos Japanese Garden,” a 30-minute run time; several concert performances of “Ongaku: The Echoes of Japan,” featuring taiko drummers, singers and dancers from Japan; Ikebana floral design art demonstrations; lectures by Meijer Gardens chief art curator Joseph Becherer; lectures on Japanese garden horticulture by Meijer Gardens director of horticulture Steve LaWarre; as well as tours of the Japanese tea house.

 

Zhang Huan’s “Long Island Buddha,” in the Richard and Helen DeVos Japanese Garden at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. (Supplied photo)
Zhang Huan’s “Long Island Buddha,” in the Richard and Helen DeVos Japanese Garden at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. (Supplied photo)

The Japanese Garden, created by renowned designer Hoichi Kurisu, features sculpture by Anish Kapoor, Jenny Holzer and Guiseppe Penone, among others.

 

On that day, one will likely not even need to be in the amphitheater to hear and feel the drums providing a heartbeat to Meijer Gardens in general and the Japanese Garden in specific. While I may check out the drumming up-close, I plan to experience a moment inside the Oriental garden contemplating the view of Zhang Huan’s magnificent “Long Island Buddha.”

 

Zen anyone?

 

— Kady

 

Do you have a passion? How about a hobby? Then write about! Become a citizen reporter with WKTV. For more information, email Mike DeWitt at Mike.Dewitt@wktv.org

Review: Of Monsters and Men at Meijer Gardens

3-bottom, Entertainment, , , ,

Of Monster and Men recently performed at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
Of Monster and Men recently performed at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

30-second Review

 

Of Monsters and Men, June 13 at Meijer Gardens amphitheater.

 

After opening act Cub Sport (Inbound from Brisbane; think Justin Beeber blurred with Talking Heads), OMAM played almost non-stop for 90-or-so minutes, opening with “Thousand Eyes” and closing with “Dirty Paws” as second encore. In between, the Icelandic alt-folk/rock band played songs you know – we all remember “King and Lionheart” – blended with songs off their latest recording, 2015’s “Beneath the Skin,” including the excellent “Wolves Without Teeth.” Surprising number of songs the audience knew and reacted to, considering they really only have two studio recordings in their catalogue. Songs from the new album are intriguing, but played live their big-drum sound can sound a little too similar when played one after another after another.

 

May I have more, please?

Maybe the best example of how Of Monsters and Men is an acquired taste was their two-song encore Monday night.

 

First lead singer/guitarist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir (just Nanna, please) comes out with the sparse, haunting “Organs” off their 2015 recording, then with co-singer-guitarist Raggi Þórhallsson (just Raggi) and the entire band  (all impossible to pronounce in English) belted out “Dirty Paws,” from the band’s 2012 release “My Head is an Animal” – with the trademark “big drum” sound pounding the audience.

 

Nanna can whisper out a song; but the band – with she and Raggi alternating or sharing vocals – can rip it up.

 

For the most part, the band rolled out its set at Meijer Gardens with precision and passion, often going from one song to another with the only break a quick guitar change. There was very little talk, very little audience interaction many bands use to catch their breath, and very little to disappoint the longtime fan or the OMAM newcomer. At least the crowd – mostly young, mostly female and couples; lots of selfies with the band in the background destined for Facebook or hipper – did not seem to be disappointed and stood on their feet for the entire set.

 

It was actually great to hear them at a small venue – they first hit the big time in 2012 at venues named Lollapalooza and Coachella and Bonnaroo. And this year they will be touring with Florence and the Machine at big venues with similar names. The music, though, may have overwhelmed the vocals a bit.

 

I have heard, and liked from a distance, some of the band’s earlier songs not only off their first recording but on the soundtracks of films “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” and “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”, and TV’s “The Walking Dead.” After hearing most of the tracks off the new release, I may have to spring for the CD.

 

— K.D. Norris

 

Looking Ahead

What’s up next with the Fifth Third Bank Summer Concerts at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: tickets (some limited numbers) still available for Tedeschi Trucks Band on June 17, Michael Franti & Spearhead on June 22, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros on July 17, Femi Kuti & The Positive Force Band on July 20, The Goo Goo Dolls on July 27, Jay Leno on July 28, War and Los Lonely Boys on Aug. 10, and Seal on Aug. 26.

 

Schedule and more info here.

 

For info on free concerts on Tuesday nights (starting in July), go here.

Holiday Traditions and Treasures on Exhibit at Frederik Meijer Gardens

Local Entertainment, Recreation, , ,

If one gets the opportunity to visit Frederik Meijer Gardens between now and the arrival of the New Year, don’t squander this wonderful holiday gift! There are plentiful examples of holiday cheer and unique exhibitions that request viewing before some of them disappear forever! In addition to the enchanting Railway Garden, where model trains traverse a landscape filled with models of Grand Rapids landmarks as well as those of its sister cities, they are offering a chance to tour Holiday Traditions from around the world.

A tree representing Japanese cultural traditions.
A tree representing Japanese cultural traditions.

Talking to the volunteers manning the information desk yielded treasures of all sorts. Dave Pelak spoke enthusiastically of the holiday trees representing all different and diverse backgrounds in Meijer Gardens’ Holiday Exhibition. “You need to pay attention to the detail in all the ornaments and just the overall presentation on each of them.” He was particular about the German and Irish trees especially, saying that if it were up to him, “no one could leave until they find the pickle”, referring to the German tradition of hiding a pickle ornament in the trees of the Dutch.

Pelak went on to explain the great amount of care each and every piece in the exhibition is given, with ornaments and crafted decorations being transported in basically padded safes. The effort shows through as one walks through the beauteous showcase, as the meticulous setups and utterly charming atmosphere provided are near-guaranteed to lift up all Christmas and assorted holiday spirits.

To further drive home the magnetic power of the worldly pageant, the author encountered a delightfully curious happening. As I perused the various traditional settings, I heard multiple languages around and within the Holiday Showcase of trees. Not just the typical English and Spanish filled my ears, but also the words of Russian family and methinks a Korean one as well who passed through enjoying the  remarkable exhibition. These exhibits are truly examples that bring out the melting pot in our culture.

Traditional Irish Tree
Traditional Irish Tree

Also of note was the current exhibit within the Sculpture Gallery, just inside the entrance before one enters the Holiday Exhibition. Volunteer Cathy Ezinga told of how much of the current exhibition, rare and fragile Japanese art, is so delicate that once January 4th hits, the end of the exhibition, the pieces are being shipped off to Japan to be put in a sort of final resting place, out of public viewing, for the rest of time! That’s right, for just as the infomercials always claim, these pieces are only here for a very limited time and then they’re gone forever. Come to Frederik Meijer Gardens and behold the culture before it is too late.

Halloween Fun in West Michigan: Central Michigan

Local Business, Local Entertainment, Our Cities, Recreation, Upcoming Events, , , , , , , , , , , ,

pumpkin kidThere is so much to do in West Michigan to kick off the Halloween fun! This three part series will dive into different Fall and Halloween activities all throughout the West side of this Marvelous State. Next up is Central West Michigan. If you missed part one on Southern Michigan, be sure not to let it Fall to the wayside!

As Halloween approaches, all the little ghouls and goblins have one thing on their minds: Trick-or-Treating! To keep the kids’ minds off candy just a bit longer, kick off your Halloween fun early in West Michigan! Whether it’s family fun at the corn maze, or Halloween-themed pub crawls for the grown up ghouls, there are plenty of Halloween activities for all ages around West Michigan to get you in a Halloween mood!

Central Halloween Fun in West Michigan

Opera Grand Rapids

Opera Grand RapidsOpera Grand Rapids is ramping up for its annual Night With The Opera fundraiser on October 30 surrounding the company’s season opening concert of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Requiem.” Opera Grand Rapids invites the public to participate in an evening of unique cuisine and libations, live performances, and plenty of ghosts and ghouls at this year’s Halloween-themed event. All proceeds from the event support Opera Grand Rapids’ mission year-round, to foster and fulfill demand for high quality, live opera in West Michigan.

In keeping with tradition, Night With the Opera will treat guests to a festive evening packed full of live performances, along with the opportunity to join other advocates in support of live opera in the community. More information can be found here.

Pentwater

Pentwater has a number of opportunities to get outside and enjoy the Halloween season! October 31st heralds Halloween on the Green & the Spooktacular Parade! From 1pm through 5pm, bring the kids out in costume for fun activities, trick or treating with downtown merchants, the parade, and more Halloween fun.

Grand Rapids Children’s Museum

Grand Rapids Childrens MuseumBring your little ghouls and goblins in for a night of Trick or Treat fun at the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum! Visit on Thursday, October 29th, from 5:00-8:00pm to create Halloween art, decorate a treat bag, and trick or treat throughout the museum! Entry is just $1.75 per person, and don’t forget your costume!

LowellArts! King Gallery

On display in the LowellArts! King Gallery is an exhibition titled “Things That Go Bump in the Night.” The exhibit is a group show of dark and mysterious themed artwork that was submitted through an open call for artists. Artwork on display embraces the concept of darkness, mystery, and fear in a thoughtful way. The show was juried to ensure that artwork fit the theme, and is appropriate for all viewing audiences. The exhibit will be on display October 1st through 31st. The gallery is open Tues-Fri 10am-6pm and Sat 1-4pm.

Frederik Meijer Gardens

Frederik Meijer GardenFrederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is getting in the Halloween mood with “Hallowee-Ones”! Hallowee-Ones takes place on Friday, October 23, from 10 am through 12 pm. Dress your child in costume and enjoy this special event designed for the youngest visitors. Children are invited to join in a costume parade and listen to Halloween-themed stories. This event is included with admission to Meijer Gardens.

Chocolates by Grimaldi

Few things can compare to a crisp autumn apple grown in Michigan’s fertile glacial soil, but if you’re the kind of person that likes your Halloween apples dripping in an extra layer or two, of deliciousness, then Chocolates by Grimaldi has the treat for you.

Chocolates by GrimaldiFor a limited time the Grand Haven-based chocolate factory, is offering a special chocolate caramel apple. Their chocolatiers use complementary ingredients that allow the customer to experience layers of flavors. They start with crisp, hand-picked apples and drench them in their buttery, and creamy caramel. Next they coat them with their own delectable chocolate. Finally, the apples are dusted them with a layer of crunchy nuts or other toppings.

If you want one, you had better hurry, because the apples won’t last long. The limited edition apples will only be available through the fall at Chocolates by Grimaldi in Grand Haven or on their website.

Our Brewing Company

Our Brewing Company is hosting their annual Anniversary/Halloween Party on Friday, October 30, 2015. This will be their 3rd Anniversary party, as they opened November 1 of 2012. There will be live music, great beer, everyone dressed up in costumes, and great merchandise for sale, including their custom Anniversary shirts which will only be sold at this time! Party will start around 8:00 and go until Midnight.

John Ball Zoo

John Ball Zoo Goes BooVisit West Michigan’s favorite trick-or-treat spot at the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, where you’ll find over 20 booths, over-the-top decorations, and costumed characters! Your visit will include games, prizes, magic, music, special animal activities, and so much more. Bring your bees, pirates, princesses, and bears to Zoo Goes Boo on October 23rd-25th!

Play Bytes by Playwrights

Play Bytes by Playwrights is a production and competition of a collection of eight 10-minute plays written by playwrights and performed by emerging and established actors at LowellArts! Either drama or comedy, all the plays fit the theme: Things That Go Bump in the Night. A panel of judges will select one of the competing playwrights to win a $500 cash prize. Audience members will be invited to vote for their favorite short play, and the playwright winner of the People’s Choice and Juried Cash Award will be announced at the final production.

The Dinner Theater productions are held at Larkin’s Other Place, 301 W. Main Street on Friday and Saturday evenings at 6:30pm–October 23, 24, 30 & 31 with a Sunday matinee at 1:30pm–October 25. Show only tickets are available–play begins at 7:30pm on Fri & Sat and 2:30pm on Sunday. Advanced tickets are required for Dinner Theater ($25), and show only tickets ($13) can be purchased in advance or at the door. For ticket information, call 897-8545. More info here.

Lowell

What could be more fun than Lowell in October! They have a host of activities for you and the family to enjoy. Put on your walking shoes and enjoy the autumn air while visiting all the events throughout Historic Lowell! Participate in or view the Harvest Hustle 5K Run/Walk or the Outdoor Chili Madness Chili Cook-off at Larkin’s Restaurant, plus join them at the fairgrounds for the Autumn Marketplace, which will feature Arts and Crafts, Farmers Market, Flea Market, Pet Expo, Scarecrow-Building hoedown and live entertainment!

Halloween On Ice

Halloween on IceNancy Kerrigan’s Halloween On Ice is coming to Van Andel Arena on Friday, October 30th at 7:00 PM. Get ready for a night of family fun with Halloween-themed figure skating performances by a star studded cast of Olympic, World, and US National medalists including Nancy Kerrigan, Kurt Browning, Johnny Weir and many more!

The line-up of skaters is subject to change. Tickets are on sale now at the Van Andel Arena and DeVos Place box offices, Ticketmaster ticket centers, Ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000. Groups of 12 or more save by calling 616-742-6185, emailing GroupSales@smggr.com or online.

Blandford Nature Center

Celebrate Halloween and the great outdoors at the same time at Blandford Nature Center in Grand Rapids. Visit on October 29th at 6pm for the “Beasts of Blandford” program. As the sun sets and the night animals become active, come creep through the enchanted Blandford forest. Enjoy a Halloween treat and participate in a craft.

Make sure to check out part 3 on Friday for Halloween activities in Northern West Michigan!

The Richard and Helen DeVos Japanese Garden Opens to Rave Reviews

Area Education, Community Health, Local Business, Our Cities,

Japanes Garden 4Rockford Resident Kathy Ray was in total awe upon her first visit to The Richard & Helen DeVos Japanese Garden colleen_piersonat Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

“The beauty, tranquility and elegance I experienced on my first visit brought me to tears, she told the WKTV Citizen Journalism team.

Janina Pollatz, a Junior at Easter Michigan University, learned the true meaning of relaxation upon her time spent at the garden.

“After a stressful school year and competing in track all season, it was so relaxing to walk in and just slow down and experience the peacefulness and calmness of the surroundings,” she remarked.   Japanese Garden 2

The garden features traditional components such as waterfalls, elevation changes, extensive boulder placement, authentic Japanese structures and a functioning teahouse. The Japanese Garden,  embraces the essence of traditional Japanese gardens—tranquility, contemplation and beauty. The design effectively uses space to highlight contrasts between still and rushing water, between quietly intimate spaces and expansive open spaces, and between manicured and natural areas.

What a great opportunity to talk to the
What a great opportunity to talk to Steve La Warre

We had the opportunity to speak with Director of Horticulture Steve La Warre for a behind the scenes look at the design and execution of the Japanese Garden.

“This is an eight acre addition located in the middle of the 158- acre main campus.  It has been a four year ongoing project. Construction commenced in 2012 and we reached our fundraising goal of $22 million,” he explained.

That is the type of generosity that West Michigan residents can appreciate from the late Fred Meijer and wife Lena, Richard and Helen DeVos and over 200 community members.

Steve La Warre also shared the sheer uniqueness of working with designer Hoichi Kurisu to create this garden of innovation.

“He is from Japan and bought a house here in West Michigan and has been here for the past five years. During that time he transformed an expansive marsh and wooded valley into an international design that uses the garden space to its best potential as a sensory experience. Every tree, every boulder was placed by him. He is known for his use of space.”

“It has been a great honor for me to work on this very special project for Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park,” said Hoichi Kurisu, the garden’s master designer and president of Kurisu International, Inc. “Fred Meijer’s dream for such a garden for his wife Lena, and of Richard and Helen DeVos has become my dream, too.  My wish is that the beauty and tranquility of this space will touch the visitors very deeply for many generations to come.”Japanese Garden 3

As the WKTV Community News team experienced the garden, we thought about how the environment would change throughout all the seasons and how every location played off our senses. And standing by the rushing waterfalls, and Zen style garden took our daily stress away. We also marveled at the innovation, the beautiful views, and how lucky West Michigan is to have the garden at our path.  Japanese Garden 1