Tag Archives: Gerald R. Ford President Museum

How to get inspired by visiting this year’s ArtPrize

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  • Artwork submitted to the “Voices” project (WKTV/D.A. Reeds)
  • “Dreams” is the piece artists Pamela Aldern and Michael Hyacinthe submitted. (WKTV/D.A. Reed)
  • A close-up of the ribbon wall in the “Voices” exhibit. (WKTV/D.A. Reed)
  • “Dreams” by Pamela Alderman and Michael Hyacinthe (WKTV/D.A. Reed)

By D.A. Reed
WKTV Contributing Writer

From aesthetics, to healing, to raising awareness of important global issues, ArtPrize 2022 offers something for everyone.

“Elephant Chunko” by Kristina Libby (WKTV/D.A. Reed)

“It’s well known that (people) can create a piece of art and…speak through the art, tell the story, tell the emotion, tell the journey through the art. That can be a very healing thing,” Pamela Alderman, artist and 12-year ArtPrize participant, told WKTV.

Since its inception in 2009, the international art competition ArtPrize has drawn millions of people to Grand Rapids and sparked endless conversations about art and why it matters.

Through Oct. 2, visitors have a chance to experience art in ways they never have before. During the 18-day event, art is exhibited throughout Grand Rapids, from public parks and museums, to galleries and vacant storefronts, to inside bars and on bridges.

Taking a stroll to see what can be seen

This particular reporter spent an enjoyable afternoon scouring the streets and venues of downtown Grand Rapids for art and found much more than was expected.

During her walk, the tutor meet Desert Storm veteran Aaron Ball who is showing his piece at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. (WKTV/D.A. Reed)

In a city already immersed in art, with performance halls, event arenas, and ground-to-rooftop murals decorating several outside walls of businesses and apartment buildings, ArtPrize enhances what Grand Rapids already has to offer.

As I walked from one end of the city to the other, gazing at incredible displays of art of every genre imaginable, I also tuned in to the people. Excitement dominated each venue and exhibit, with art enthusiasts alternating between intensity as they studied the exhibits and displays to gasps of amazement and delight. ArtPrize visitors ranged from young to old, and sported school groups, guests tightly clutching maps while trying to find their way, and others who were clearly natives to the area, striding with confidence and purpose.

But visitors are not the only ones to gain something from ArtPrize.

Using art to give people a ‘voice’

Veterans, led by artist and veteran wife Alderman, and veteran and entrepreneur Michael Hyacinthe, have found healing through art and community.

“Sometimes, when people are traumatized, they can’t put that trauma into words,” Alderman said, “but they can help work through that trauma through an art experience or creative opportunity.” Alderman went on to explain how stress is stored in the mind, but creative outlets can help release that stress.

“Art may not heal the whole person, but it certainly is instrumental in helping to begin that healing journey, or help to continue that healing journey,” said Alderman.

This collection of art by veterans can be found at Veterans Memorial Park and is titled Voices. Partnered with Kent County Veterans Services, Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, and Hyacinthe’s non-profit Has Heart, Alderman and Hyacinthe’s Voices project is raising awareness for veterans while simultaneously providing a pathway to healing and creating a place for veterans to experience hope.

But Alderman and Hyacinthe wanted to do more. “We wanted to inspire dreams, to inspire kids to keep dreaming, keep thinking big, keep reaching for the stars,” Alderman said.

Inspiration knows no age

While venue curators of Voices, Alderman and Hyacinthe also entered ArtPrize as contestants. Their exhibit, Dreams, allowed children to send in drawings that the artists then turned into a large mural.

“The way children communicate also inspires adults. They’re so vulnerable, so honest, and so innocent that they also end up inspiring adults,” said Alderman.

It inspired this reporter. Veterans Memorial Park was my first stop, and I was not disappointed. Among the opportunity to view breathtaking artwork, I was able to meet and chat with Desert Storm veteran Aaron Bull, and also write a note on a yellow ribbon and tie it to a wall with hundreds of others that would later be distributed in care packages to active-duty soldiers.

Animals, quilts and more

The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum hosts artist and mother Luba Sordyl, creator of Help Us. Sordyl created the acrylic painting containing 17 intertwined animals after learning about how chemicals in the water impacted the health of animals and the environment in general. She hopes to raise awareness about this important environmental issue with her artwork.

“United We Stand” by Andrew Lee at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. (WKTV/D.A. Reed)

Also displayed at the museum were handmade quilts titled Shock and Awe & United We Stand by veteran Andrew Lee. In visiting with viewers, Lee said that he created quilts as a way to heal after his two deployments to Iraq. Each quilt is made up of hundreds of individually cut squares of fabric and then given away to veterans once completed.

All ages will find something to enjoy at ArtPrize, with several interactive exhibits that delight both adults and children. Among these are scavenger hunts, mailbox cubbies ready for exploration, large, chunky animal sculptures with colorful bodies called Chunkos, a 12-foot fort, and a display where visitors can write and share their dreams.

To learn more about ArtPrize and find tips to make the most of your visit, click here: ArtPrize 2022.

D. A. (Deborah) Reed is an award-winning author of young adult novels and a creative writing instructor from the Grand Rapids area. To find out more about D.A. Reed, visit her website: D.A. Reed Author

Gerald R. Ford Museum once again site of Four Chaplains service

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For the past several years, Wyoming resident Harriet Sturim, through the American Legion Post 459, has helped to organize the Four Chaplains service at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. This Saturday, as the nation marks the 75th anniversary of these heroic men, Sturim will host her last program.

 

“It is time for someone to take the program to the next level,” Sturim said, adding that she has enjoyed the opportunity to remember the acts of the Four Chaplains.

 

One Feb. 3, 1943, Reformed Church Rev. Clark V. Poling, Rabbi Alexander D Goode and Methodist Rev. George L. Fox sacrificed themselves to save hundreds of soldiers on the U.S. Army transport Dorchester. A German U2 submarine fired onto ship, causing it to sink. The men kept everyone calm, handing our life preservers, including their own.

 

“Those who survived remember seeing them on the ship, arm-in-arm, singing as the ship went down,” Sturim said.

 

For many years, the National American Legion has encouraged posts across the nation to host a Four Chaplains Day event, something that Grand Rapids’ American Legion Post 459 has been doing for the past 14 years.

 

This year, the event is set for Saturday, Jan. 27, from noon-2 p.m.. It will focus on the story of the four chaplains, their friendship and sacrifice. Taking place at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, 303 Pearl St. NW, the event will include a special memorial to Ret. U.S. Army Chaplain Herman Keizer, who died last year. Keizer would tell the story of the chaplains at the service and rightfully so, as the retired chaplain had dedicated his life to researching and educating people about the moral injury and recovery for military veterans.

 

“It will be a recognition of his service to us all these years,” Sturim said. “One of the greatest mentors I ever had. He was an incredible man in what he accomplished in his lifetime.”

 

Sturim noted that the United States is marking several anniversaries this year.

 

“This is a very big commemorative year as this is the 75th anniversary for the chaplains and World War II along with being the 50th anniversary of the Korean War,” Struim said.

 

Attendees for the event will include many veterans from those conflicts along with a special guest who is a relative of one of those who was on the Dorchester.

 

Refreshments will be served following the service. Sturim also noted the Ford Museum will be free to program attendees.

ArtPrize sees an increase in artists, venues for 2016 event

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More than 2,100 artists have registered for ArtPrize Eight.
More than 2,100 artists have registered for ArtPrize Eight.

With artist registration officially closed, ArtPrize has announced a huge increase in both artists and venues for the upcoming event set for Sept. 21 – Oct. 9.

 

About 2,124 artists or artist teams have registered about 2,008 entries in hopes of competing for a combination of public vote and juried awards totaling $500,000 this fall. That is about 475 more than last year’s number of artists, which totaled around 1,649.

 

Also the number of venues have increased by 20 over last year coming in at 182 venues for the 2016 event. Last year, there was a 162 venues that participated. The 182 number includes 38 new spaces within the three-square-mile jurisdiction of downtown Grand Rapids. Venue registration closed April 7.

 

The numbers for 2016 do not reflect the final tally as registered artists and venues have until June 23 to connect.

 

We took a quick look at those that have been matched noting there are several from the Kentwood and Wyoming areas such as dancer Morgan Fraiser of Wyoming, who will be presenting a time-based piece at the newly reopened Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, 303 Pearl St. NW; and James Schneider, of Kentwood, who will have his piece “Systems of Reception” at DeVos Place Convention Center, 33 Monroe Ave. NW.

 

To a view a continuously updated list of connected entries, visit artprize.org/entries.

 

ArtPrize is one of the largest art competitions in the world. More than $500,000 are awarded out with the largest prizes being for the grand prize winner in the public vote, which receives $200,000 and the juried grand prize winner which receives $200,000. Cash awards are also given in the categories of two-dimensional, three-dimensional, installation and time-based. For more information about ArtPrize, visit www.artprize.org.