Tariffs have been threatened for many months, and now that they are actually being imposed, the West Michigan economy is beginning to feel the pinch, said Brian G. Long, director of Supply Management Research in Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business.
Long surveyed local business leaders and his findings below are based on data collected during the last two weeks of July.
After 18 months of solid growth, the survey’s index of business improvement (new orders) is down sharply from June at -3, down from +33. The production index eased to +23 from a robust +39. The index of purchases tapered to +13 from +27, and the employment index eased to +21 from +30.
“Although our last report was quite strong, growth has slowed in almost every sector of the West Michigan economy,” said Long. “Business planners hate uncertainty, and many firms appear to be putting expansion plans on hold until they can see a clearer picture of where the trade war is taking us and exactly how much it will cost.”
Long said auto sales are continuing to soften, especially for local auto parts suppliers. He said local firms producing capital equipment are still benefitting from the recently passed tax advantages for new capital investments, but rising costs are a major concern. Many local industrial distributors reported flat business conditions for July, some of which may be seasonal.
The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.”
The local economy continues to maintain solid growth, while some area business leaders express concern about an impending tariff war, said Brian G. Long, director of Supply Management Research in Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business.
Long surveyed local business leaders and his findings below are based on data collected during the last two weeks of June.
The survey’s index of business improvement (new orders) came in at +33, up from +30. The production index rose to +39 from +37. The index of purchases also increased to +27 from +19, and the employment index remains strong at +30.
“Many local manufacturers are worried that this tariff war is going to come down in the form of higher prices and lack of availability of some of the key commodities, like steel and aluminum, that are needed by local businesses,” said Long. “The office furniture industry, which uses a lot of steel, and the aerospace industry, which uses aluminum, could be especially impacted by the new tariffs.”
Long said local farmers who sell produce like blueberries and cherries worldwide are also worried about tariff wars. He also said local business owners feel positive about the future.
“Unemployment is down to 2.9 percent in Kent County and 2.7 percent Ottawa County, which is the county with the lowest unemployment in all of Michigan’s 83 counties,” he said.
The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.”
A project to bring new affordable housing to a Grand Rapids neighborhood is one step closer following action by the Board of Trustees of Grand Valley State University. At their July meeting, trustees authorized the university to lease property on its health campus in Grand Rapids to a developer who intends to build affordable housing compatible with the Belknap Lookout neighborhood.
Grand Valley’s Community Relations Director Patricia Waring presented the resolution to the board. She and others from Grand Valley worked with representatives from the City of Grand Rapids and from the Neighbors of Belknap Lookout (NOBL) to create a Memorandum of Understanding after the university purchased land to expand its health campus north of Michigan Street. The MOU required the committee to prepare a request for proposal and choose a developer.
The board’s action authorizes Grand Valley to lease .85 acres to Three CPK, which is a joint venture of Third Coast Development and PK Housing, for development of the affordable housing project, which is a provision of the MOU. The housing will be built on the south side of Trowbridge, between Lafayette and Prospect, in the Belknap area of the city of Grand Rapids.
“Moving forward with this project represents steady cooperation between Grand Valley, city officials and those representing the Belknap Lookout neighborhood,” said Waring. “We have shared a goal of providing the best quality of life for those who live, work and attend classes in this busy area of the city. There are many details to projects like this one, and I’m pleased we had bright minds and wonderful attitudes around the table. We’re looking forward to the addition of this housing project in the neighborhood with our health campus.”
An aerial view of the proposed develoment
The project will have a housing mix of 70 percent affordable and 30 percent market rate. CPK will submit an application for low-income housing tax credits in November, and if successful, the project could be completed as early as fall 2019. The university will not use tuition revenue or any of its funds for the construction of the project, operating expenses or any future repairs or renovations.
“This collaborative effort should serve as a model for development within the city,” said Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss. “This project is consistent with what the residents of the neighborhood want, and it’s consistent with the strategy outlined by the city commission, which calls for preserving affordable housing, encouraging mixed-income neighborhoods and supporting our vulnerable populations. Progress can truly be good for all involved.”
Other board action:
— The trustees also adopted the university’s FY 2019 budget and set tuition rates for the academic year. Trustees approved a $245 per semester increase in tuition, bringing the annual tuition to $12,484 for a full-time undergraduate Michigan resident. The budget includes $52.4 million in financial aid for students, which is an increase of $5.1 million to be awarded in the form of scholarships and grants.
Grand Valley is expected to receive $72.1 million in state funding, some of which is awarded based on the university’s superior performance in key areas such as retention and graduation rates. Grand Valley ranks third in retention and fourth in graduation rates among the 15 public universities in Michigan.
— The board approved a resolution to name the Student Services Building on the Allendale Campus for President Emeritus Arend (Don) Lubbers and his wife Nancy Lubbers.
Don Lubbers served as president of Grand Valley for 32 years, and with Nancy worked to build Grand Valley from a small college to a regional university. Both have been leaders in the creation of Grand Valley’s Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus, the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences on Grand Rapids’ Medical Mile, The Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute in Muskegon, the Meijer Campus in Holland and the Traverse City Regional Center.
— The board also approved a resolution for authorization of Martin Luther King Jr. Education Center Academy (Detroit), approval of an extended start date for Saginaw Covenant Academy to February 1, 2019 (Saginaw), and appointment or reappointment of charter school board members to GVSU-authorized public school academy boards.
— The board also selected a new chair and vice chair. Mary Kramer will serve as the next chair of the Board of Trustees; Megan Sall will serve as the next vice chair. The board also approved a resolution thanking outgoing chair John Kennedy for his service to the board for the last two years.
Leaders in the field of philanthropy from across the country have noticed a shortcoming in how the nonprofit sector applies principles of diversity, equity and inclusion throughout its critically important and economically substantial work.
The nonprofit sector is a $1.6 trillion industry in the United States, and 1 in 10 American workers are employed in the field. However, people of color and other minority populations tend to be underrepresented in leadership positions in the industry.
Monumental demographic shifts taking place in the U.S. necessitate that the nonprofit sector adapt to changing needs in communities to ensure equitable access to healthcare, education and the workforce.
With this need in mind, the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University is adding former Aquinas College president Juan Olivarez to its ranks to help study, understand and share knowledge about how to improve inclusive practices in the nonprofit sector.
Olivarez will serve as the Johnson Center’s Distinguished Scholar in Residence for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for a three-year term, and will advance the center’s work on building capacity in the nonprofit sector while incorporating principles of equity.
The Distinguished Scholar in Residence position is funded in part by recent grants from the Frey Foundation, the Wege Foundation, the Kate and Richard Wolters Foundation as well as support from the center’s founder, Dorothy A. Johnson. The gifts are part of Grand Valley’s Laker Effect campaign.
Part of the work Olivarez will take on is developing a prototype talent pipeline initiative in the West Michigan area that seeks to better understand the role of employment in inclusive community development. A portion of the initiative will include research and conversations with thought leaders on diversity, equity and inclusive practices, as well as focus on how to make those principles integral to nonprofit work. This research will be shared on a national and global scale to widely advance equitable practices across the sector.
“Philanthropy has the potential to touch all Americans, yet we still have the sense that we’re not truly reaching and assisting all communities enough,” Olivarez said. “So the need is to study, to look at best practices and determine how we can influence the advancement of diversity, inclusion and equity efforts.”
Olivarez brings nonprofit leadership and higher education experience to the position, having served as president of Aquinas College for six years and Grand Rapids Community College for almost 10 years. He also served several years as the president and CEO of the Kalamazoo Community Foundation where he championed innovative community initiatives that focused on improving education opportunities for all people.
“Juan Olivarez is highly respected and experienced in the fields of higher education and philanthropy and will be able to spark the kinds of meaningful, probing conversations this work needs,” said Mark Van Putten, president and CEO of the Wege Foundation. “With the research and convening power of the Johnson Center behind him, we expect to see great outcomes.”
The Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy is a well-regarded center of excellence at Grand Valley State University and a vital resource for the charitable sector both locally and globally, with engagements in Michigan, across the United States, and internationally in Canada, Australia, Europe, and Saudi Arabia.
Shannon Wilson, executive director of GRAAHI, speaks during a news conference about the Pathways to Careers in Health Care initiative June 28 at the Kent ISD Conference Center.
Grand Valley State University and six other area higher education institutions will work to increase the number of students of color who choose health care fields while in college, then succeed in the workforce.
The Grand Rapids African American Health Institute (GRAAHI) announced a “Pathways to Careers in Health Care” initiative to engage with area colleges and universities through a $400,000 planning grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek. Shannon Wilson, executive director of GRAAHI, said the grant allows for college-specific plans of action to engage students of color and help reduce barriers to choosing to study in health care professions.
“This is by far the most influential grant we have received,” Wilson said during a news conference held June 28 at the Kent ISD Conference Center. “It has the potential to change how medical care is delivered in Grand Rapids, and by whom. We can reduce disparities in health care when our health care workforce mirrors the diversity of our community.”
President Thomas J. Haas said the Pathways initiative supports Grand Valley’s strategic plan to increase the diversity of its campus community to reflect that of West Michigan’s population. Hear more in this video.
“This work fits with the university’s other initiatives to prepare students of color for success in college and the workforce; and this project is aligned with Grand Valley’s commitment to the state of Michigan to fill the health care talent pipeline with qualified and diverse health care employees,” Haas said.
Pictured are leaders from area colleges and universities, plus staff members from Grand Rapids African American Health Institute.
Other institutions participating in the Pathways initiative are Aquinas College, Calvin College, Davenport University, Ferris State University, Grand Rapids Community College and Hope College. GRAAHI will engage with each institution in addition to connecting with parents and high school counselors.
Wilson said white health care workers represent more than 50 percent of employees in almost every occupation category. She cited a 2004 report from the Institute of Medicine and the Sullivan Commission that identified the lack of people of color in health care fields as a contributing factor in overall quality of care.
The Pathways project has overall goals of mirroring diversity in the community by 2040, establishing early exposure to advance health care practice careers throughout the K-12 experience, and developing a cohort of African American and Latino/a health care leaders.
Carillonneurs from around the U.S. will travel to Grand Valley State University this summer to fill the air around both campuses with music during the International Carillon Concert Series.
The 24th annual Cook Carillon International Concert Series will take place on Sundays at 8 p.m. on the Allendale Campus, beginning July 1.
Cook Carillon Concerts
July 1 – Student recital and open tower tours
July 8 – Lee Cobb (Cape Coral, Florida)
July 15 – Joey Brink (University of Chicago)
July 22 – Helen Hawley (Grand Rapids)
July 29 – George Gregory (San Antonio, Texas)
August 5 – Sally Harwood (Michigan State University)
August 12 — Carol Anne Taylor (Dallas, Texas)
August 19 – Dennis Curry (Birmingham, Michigan)
The Cook Carillon bells (Photo by Bernadine Carey-Tucker)
Named for major donors and longtime Grand Valley supporters Peter and Pat Cook, who died in 2010 and 2008 respectively, the Cook Carillon Tower contains 48 bronze bells created in the Netherlands. The bells range from 7.5 inches to more than 51 inches, and weigh from 14 pounds to nearly 3,000 pounds. Arranged in a chromatic series, a carillonneur plays the bells after climbing 61 steps to the playing cabin, just below the bells and clock mechanism. Cables connect the bells to a keyboard and pedal board that permit loud or soft tones through a variation of either hard or soft strikes by fists and feet. The size and weight of each bell determines the individual tones.
The 18th annual Beckering Family Carillon International Concert Series brings five concerts to the Lacks International Plaza located at the DeVos Center on Grand Valley’s Pew Grand Rapids Campus. These concerts will take place on Wednesdays at noon, beginning July 11.
Beckering Family Carillon Concerts
July 11 – Lee Cobb
July 18 – Joey Brink
July 25 – Tiffany Ng (University of Michigan)
August 1 – Duet: George Gregory and Julianne Vanden Wyngaard, Grand Valley university carillonneur
All concerts are free and open to the public, and last approximately one hour. They will take place rain or shine. For more information, visit www.gvsu.edu/music, or call Grand Valley’s Music and Dance Department at (616) 331-3484.
The stronger-than-usual performance of the West Michigan economy has continued into the opening of the second quarter of 2018, said Brian G. Long, director of Supply Management Research in Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business.
Long surveyed local business leaders and his findings below are based on data collected during the last two weeks of April.
The survey’s index of business improvement (new orders) retreated to +28 from +34. The production index edged lower to +28 from +31. The index of purchases eased to +34 from +37, and the employment index rose to +23 from +19.
“Most capital equipment manufacturers continue to be positive, but there are some exceptions,” said Long. “Local automotive parts producers are still modestly expanding despite the slight downtick for the industry as a whole.”
Long said the office furniture industry is holding steady, but signs indicate the peak for the current business cycle has been reached. He said most industrial distributors reported a good month, much as they have since the beginning of the year.
The latest numbers reported by the Department of Technology, Management and Budget pegged Michigan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for March at 4.7 percent. Long said from March 2017 to March 2018, payroll jobs in Michigan increased by 61,000 or 1.4 percent. The estimated unemployment rates range between 3.2 percent for Ottawa County to 4.2 percent in Barry County, all well below the state average.
The national U-6 unemployment rate, which includes various discouraged and marginally attached workers, has now fallen to a 17-year low of 7.8 percent.
The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.”
A group of engineering students from Grand Valley State University partnered with Beaumont Health to create a medical device that has the potential to improve the quality of life for people with neuromuscular diseases.
The cough assist device was created to help clear the airway of individuals with diseases such as muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis. The device, about the size of a stack of textbooks, is patent pending and was recently licensed to be commercially manufactured in China, making it the first commercial licensing agreement for Grand Valley’s engineering program.
“We designed the device to be used for people of all ages who have pulmonary problems — from child to adult,” said Jake Stephens, one of four students who designed and built the device. “We aimed to make it simple and easy to use and are thrilled with how it turned out.”
Jordan Vanderham, a member of the student team, said several cough assist devices exist, but they are heavy, expensive and require electricity to operate. This new device is portable, lightweight and made out of plastic and vinyl. It includes a tube attached to a face mask and two valves to control air pressure and volume. It requires no electricity to operate.
Bassel Salman with the cough assist device
Through a collaboration agreement between Beaumont Health and Grand Valley’s School of Engineering, students majoring in product design and manufacturing engineering were tasked with designing and building a prototype of the device under the guidance of engineering professor John Farris.
The idea for the invention came from, a pediatrician who specializes in critical care at Beaumont Health in Royal Oak. He noticed a need for his patients to have a cough assist device that is more affordable and portable.
“I am hopeful this device will impact patient care by offering patients worldwide a better quality of life by decreasing the cost of more intensive therapy,” Salman said. “Compared with other cough products on the market, our device does the same at less cost.”
The Beaumont Commercialization Center negotiated a license with TechBank Medical, a Shanghai-based medical commercialization organization.
The cough assist device
“For developed markets, like the U.S., this technology will provide a truly portable device that is small, lightweight and does not require electrical power. For developing markets, like China and India, the design allows for those previously unable to afford a cough assist device to finally get relief from their disease, as the technology has a simple and low-cost design,” said Brad Yang, founder and CEO of TechBank Medical.
This is the first time Grand Valley has worked with Beaumont Health, but it’s not the first time students in the engineering program have given life to medical device ideas. The university has several similar collaboration agreements with area health care providers to identify needs and build medical devices. Engineering students have worked with Mercy Health and Spectrum Health, among others.
“These collaborations bring together clinical and engineering expertise,” said Linda Chamberlain, of Grand Valley’s Technology Commercialization Office. “We want the student engineers to have a valuable experience and the clinical teams we work with to have solutions. It’s a great way for us to work together to solve a problem.”
The students completed the project as part of a one-semester class; the group includes Sam Oostendorp, Austin Williams, Jake Stephens and Jordan Vanderham.
11th graders Payton Bidwell (left) and Mirabella Witte share some of their group’s brainstorming results about the problem of declining enrollment in teacher preparation programs (photo by Natalie Tomlin)
“How might Grand Valley State University increase the supply of students in the College of Education?”
This was the driving question students were given on the launch of a project at Kent Innovation High School this winter. Other questions included: “How do markets respond to changes to supply or demand? How might the college positively impact supply and demand in the marketplace? What does the data suggest about the supply of teachers?”
Teams of students were challenged to research the causes of the shortage and formulate a possible way for GVSU’s College of Education to address the problem. Their final product, a website, needed to include key data related to the teacher shortage, interpretation of data and a solution, as well as a supply and demand graph. Students also presented their ideas to a panel of GVSU education staff.
This project was designed by facilitator Rachel Haddad, who teaches English language arts and facilitator Jeff Bush, who teaches social studies and economics, in collaboration with two student teachers from GVSU.
At first, Mirabella Witte and one of her teammates, Payton Bidwell, thought the problem seemed huge. But as they delved into the six-week project, their perspective changed. “By the end, we began to see our worth. We realized that we are where the problem is,” said Mirabella, a junior at Union High School.
Dedicated to project-based learning and collaboration, students at Innovation High work on real problems, researching and seeking solutions. Often, students present their ideas to authentic audiences, like the panel from GVSU.
As part of the project, several guest speakers visited to share knowledge of the teacher shortage from different perspectives: Dr. Kelly Margo, assistant professor from GVSU; Char Firlik, retired Kent ISD education consultant; and Coni Sullivan, assistant superintendent for HR and legal services at Kent ISD.
According to Paula Lancaster, director of teacher education at GVSU, “Statewide, since 2008, Michigan has seen an approximately 50% decline in the number of individuals enrolling in teacher preparation programs. At GVSU the decline has been nearly 30%. Over the past three years we have seen a stable uptick.”
Exploring How Supply & Demand Affects Teacher Job Market
Bush explained that one of the goals was to connect students to the concept of supply and demand as it applies to the job market. Students discovered that in part, fewer people are choosing to become teachers because of stagnant teaching salaries in comparison to STEM fields. But students also found that the shortage had to do with more than just money.
Research showed a number of teachers left the field because “they didn’t feel supported.” In response, teams proposed developing mentorship programs to support incoming teachers, or setting up programs through parks and recreation departments.
After researching and pooling possible solutions, Payton Bidwell’s group focused on students who might have a passion for teaching, but were not being recruited during high school. They decided to propose a new program that could involve Kent Career Tech Center helping connect potential educators to GVSU. She said this idea could help high school students get exposure to the field of education and find those with a passion for it.
John Shinsky, associate dean for community impact at GVSU, was a member of the panel and said he was impressed by the rich conversation that resulted. The panel asked students follow-up questions, such as how they came up with their ideas or about alternative ways of implementing their solutions.
“Students did a tremendous job,” Shinsky said. “They brought a pure point of view to the issue. This is just one more example of the capabilities of our young people today. It was also fantastic to see K-12 and higher education coming together.”
Students also gained a new perspective after they presented to an audience.
“It was surprising how realistic our solution was and how serious the adults took us,” said Payton, a junior at Forest Hills Central High School, adding she appreciated the chance to connect with the teaching field. “I learned that every profession has benefits that you may not have known without looking deeper into the profession itself.”
Bush explained that student projects were judged in three areas: Communication and Collaboration, Research and Information, as well as Creative and Critical Thinking.
“It was exciting to give students the opportunity to connect with a local partner that affects them directly,” Haddad said. “Students did an excellent job being professional when grappling with a real world problem.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
Action from the annual Lubbers Cup Regatta. (Supplied/Lubbers Cup)
With portions of West Michigan under a winter storm watch, including Kent and Ottawa counties, Grand Valley State University officials announced that they have cancelled the Lubbers Cup Reggatta for this weekend.
According to organizers the main issue is the winds that are expected to be up to 40 miles an hour. That makes any body of water unprovable, organizers stated in a letter to the teams. On top of that the National Weather Service is calling for a cold hard rain that could turn into ice. With temperatures dropping into the 30s as a high and not enough shelter, it was decided by organizers to cancel the regatta event.
From the National Weather Service as of 9:30 a.m. Friday, April 13: Active weather from a slow-moving storm system is expected through Monday. Substantial disruptions to commerce and weekend activities will be possible from the snow, ice and wind, especially in central to northern portions of Michigan. Travel may become dangerous in portions of northern Michigan from heavy snow as well as blowing and drifting snow. Ice pellets (sleet) or rain freezing on contact (freezing rain) is likely Saturday into Sunday in a large portion of Central Lower Michigan. The ice accumulations and strong winds may create multi-day power outages. Grand Rapids and Lansing could become cold enough for a portion of Saturday or Saturday night for a period of freezing rain.
Patrick Deneen associate professor of constitutional studies at Notre Dame and author of “Why Liberalism Failed”
Americans’ political positions are bitterly divided, driven apart by identity politics, partisan news coverage and algorithm-driven social media echo chambers. Meaningful, well-reasoned political discussion can be hard to find in this political climate.
With that difficulty in mind, the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley State University will provide substantive conversations about history, political thought and policy without the partisan rhetoric at its annual Progressive/Conservative Summit on April 13-14.
The two-day event will cover a wide variety of topics presented by authors, journalists and academics from various fields. Topics will range from the culture wars and identity liberalism to teaching empathy in a post-truth, pro-feelings age.
Mark Lilla, a contributor to the New York Review of Books and humanities professor at Columbia University
Presenters will include Mark Lilla, a contributor to the New York Review of Books and humanities professor at Columbia University; Patrick Deneen, associate professor of constitutional studies at Notre Dame and author of Why Liberalism Failed; and Molly Worthen, op-ed columnist at the New York Times and assistant professor of history at UNC-Chapel Hill; and many others.
Progressive/Conservative Summit 2018
April 13, 6 – 8:15 p.m. and April 14, 8:15 a.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Loosemore Auditorium, GVSU Pew Grand Rapids Campus
401 Fulton Street West, Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Event is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are requested at gvsu.edu/hc
Molly Worthen, op-ed columnist at the New York Times and assistant professor of history at UNC-Chapel Hill
“The big aim of the program is to share knowledge with the hope of improving understanding, not necessarily finding one side that can ‘beat’ the other. We want to help people explore a variety of viewpoints,” said Scott St. Louis, program manager at the Hauenstein Center.
Progressive/Conservative Summit 2018 is presented in partnership with the Kate and Richard Wolters Foundation, the Progressive Women’s Alliance of West Michigan and the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal.
Three people, who have never met before, are brought into a strange room by a mysterious Bellboy who gives them barely any information about their situation except for the knowledge that they will be in that room together for the rest of eternity.
All three characters only have one thing in common: they’re all dead.
This is the foundation of the plot for the upcoming play, “No Exit,” which will be produced and performed by Grand Valley State University theater students as a part of the annual Performance Studios Series.
The P.S. Series gives upper-level theater students the opportunity to use the practical skills they have learned in the classroom. During P.S. Series productions, students have creative control over directing, acting, backstage production, set design and costume design.
Performances of “No Exit” will take place April 6, and 7, at 7:30 p.m. and April 8 at 2 p.m. All shows will take place the Linn Maxwell Keller Black Box Theatre, located in the Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts on the Allendale Campus. General admission tickets will be $6, and tickets can be purchased through the Louis Armstrong Box Office by calling (616) 331-2300, or by visiting Startickets.com.
In “No Exit,” Cradeau, a French journalist; Inez, a Spanish secretary; and Estelle, an American socialite, quickly discover that the mysterious room they have entered is actually hell.
“This show is an exploration of why those characters find themselves in hell, what mistakes they made in the past and how living a fake life can lead you to ruin,” said Bruno Streck Rodrigues, a senior majoring in theater and communication studies who will sit in the director’s chair for “No Exit.” “Having to accept the fact that they are dead, unable to touch the outside world and slowly being forgotten, is a big part of the show.”
Expecting to find some kind of torturer in the hellish venue, the three characters quickly learn that the real torture is spending eternity with each other.
“They have to learn to ‘live’ with each other, but the problem of ‘living’ with each other, as the show itself says, is that ‘hell is other people,’” said Streck Rodrigues. “They can’t stand the thought that the other two people in the room are judging them for every little thing they do, and that is the real torture.”
“No Exit” marks Streck Rodrigues’ directorial debut, and the São Carlos, Brazil, native said it is his favorite play primarily because of the diversity of the characters.
“The show was written in 1943 by French philosopher Jean Paul Sartre, and yet one of the main characters is a lesbian, which is groundbreaking,” said Streck Rodrigues. “The male character in the original version of the play is Brazilian, like me, so I also really like my country being represented in theater.”
Grand Valley’s production of “No Exit” will be adopting the translated version by Paul Bowles in which the nationalities of Cradeau and Estelle were changed to French and American, respectively.
Emily Cobb, who plays Inez, said she looks forward to audiences reflecting on the themes of death, freedom and judgement found in “No Exit.”
“I believe this show will get people to think about life and death and it will leave an impression on them,” said Cobb, a sophomore majoring in psychology and theater. “A lot of great people put in the work to make this come to life and the results are spectacular.”
For West Michigan, the first quarter of 2018 has started on strong footing, said Brian G. Long, director of Supply Management Research in Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business.
Long surveyed local business leaders and his findings below are based on data collected during the last two weeks of March.
The survey’s index of business improvement (new orders) rose to +34, slightly better than last month’s +32. The production index held steady at +31. The index of purchases jumped sharply to +37 from +22, and the employment index edged up to +19, from +16.
“The bounce we reported last month has continued and the general mood remains optimistic,” said Long, “but the pricing pressure brought on by the recently announced tariffs has added a new dimension of stress to many purchasing offices. We have not seen this level of price pressure in several years.”
Long said the “floodgates” of new orders were opened immediately after the corporate tax cuts were signed into law. He said the recent bounce in auto sales appears to have quelled the fears that local automotive parts producers may be starting to slow.
Despite the shortage of labor, Long said several companies are still growing. “The strength of the economy has resulted in the office furniture industry holding steady,” he said. “Although there are a couple of exceptions, most of our industrial distributors are participating in the uptick of business and almost all of the manufacturing firms still cannot find enough new workers to fill open positions.”
The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.”
For over 28 years, Dr. Brian Long has edited a survey of local purchasing managers for both the Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids areas, which has proved to be a major indicator of current and future business conditions. This survey appears in many local newspapers and national business publications, including the Grand Rapids Press, MiBiz, and the Grand Rapids Business Journal. The survey is also a component of the Federal Reserve’s bimonthly survey of business conditions.
More than 50 students from the Visual and Media Arts Department will showcase works that represent the culmination of their educational journeys at Grand Valley State University.
“x-height” is just one of these upcoming exhibits. Kendra Smith said the senior graphic design exhibition is meant to represent the starting point of the future careers of the eleven participating students.
“Graphic design is not always featured in shows, so it is even more beneficial that we learn the process through this experience in school,” said Smith, a senior majoring in graphic design. “I personally had no idea about all of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into creating and promoting an exhibit. Everyone has really used their skills gained in the program to step out-of-the-box and create work they’re really passionate about.”
Smith’s contribution to “x-height” includes branding elements for a fictional design museum called the Grand Rapids Institute of Design (GRID), including visitor guides, tickets, membership cards, a mock website and more.
“From a young age, I have always enjoyed visiting museums and gaining more knowledge,” said Smith. “I also have not had the opportunity yet to create design work for a public space, so I wanted to challenge myself to try something new.”
The “Control and Creativity (100 Questions I Asked Myself)” exhibition runs April 9 -12.
Justin Nienhuis, a senior studio art major with an emphasis on jewelry making and metalsmithing, said his solo exhibit revolves around 100 questions he asked himself while contemplating his showcase.
“I just wanted to be aware of what I was thinking about while I was creating my work,” said Nienhuis, from Holland. “In my show, I explore how a vessel could be formed in metal versus ceramics.”
“Control and Creativity (100 Questions I Asked Myself)” will showcase 20 works by Nienhuis, mostly consisting of pieces created from copper, brass, bronze and nickel silver.
Nienhuis said the Visual and Media Arts Department helped him develop the skills necessary to succeed in his future career.
“GVSU has some amazing professors, like Beverly Seley, the head of the jewelry and metalsmithing program,” said Nienhuis. “The art program has really been formed to help students learn how to not only make art, but also prepare us for being professional artists in the future by teaching skills like how to build a resume, website, and professional portfolio, and how to apply for grants.”
Below is a full list of upcoming senior thesis exhibitions:
x-height Senior graphic design exhibition
Exhibition dates: April 9-12
Art Gallery, Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
Reception: April 12, from 5-7 p.m.
Control and Creativity (100 Questions I Asked Myself)
Senior BFA thesis exhibit by Justin Neinhuis, jewelry and metalsmithing major
Exhibition dates: April 9-12
Padnos Student Gallery, Calder Art Center, Allendale Campus
Reception: April 12, from 5-7 p.m.
Emerge
Senior illustration thesis exhibition
Exhibition dates: April 14-May 18
Nomad Galleries by Richard App, 74 Monroe Center Street NW, Grand Rapids
*Hours by appointment
Reception: April 14, from 5-9 p.m.
Teammates How Do/The Wall is Not Solid/how to ollie
Three senior visual studies exhibitions
Exhibition dates: April 16-22 (Monday-Thursday, from 5-9 p.m.)
106 Division Avenue South
Receptions: April 20, from 6-9 p.m.; April 21 and 22, from 2-5 p.m.
Fractal
Senior photography thesis exhibition
Exhibition dates: April 17-27
Art Gallery, Haas Center, Allendale Campus
Reception: April 19, from 5-7 p.m.
Film and Video Spring Showcase
April 24, from 7-10 p.m.
Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
For more information, contact the Visual and Media Arts Department at (616) 331-3486.
An upcoming lecture at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) will explore the importance of social justice in various religious communities around the world.
The Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, general secretary of the General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church, will be the featured speaker during the 2018 Rabbi Phillip Sigal Memorial Lecture. In her role, Henry-Crowe oversees the church’s response to issues including civil and human rights, economic justice, environmental justice, health and wholeness, peace with justice, and women and children.
The free event will take place April 10 from 7-9 pm in the Eberhard Center (room 215), located on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus (401 Fulton St W, Grand Rapids, MI 49504). To register for this event, visit the Kaufman Interfaith Institute website, or call 616.331.5702.
During her presentation, Henry-Crowe will primarily touch on the importance of social justice in the Abrahamic traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), but her points will apply to many different religious, secular and spiritual traditions.
“With the rise of activism and an increase of literature on how religious, secular or spiritual traditions impact this activism, this lecture will be a good time to reflect on how social justice is imperative,” said Kevin McIntosh, Campus Interfaith Resources coordinator. “Susan will move from what justice means in these traditions to what social justice means now, and will focus on current issues, such as food, immigration and religious oppression.”
Two additional respondents will also participate in the lecture. Marlene Kowalski-Braun, assistant vice president for inclusion and student affairs at Grand Valley, and Muaz Redzic, Imam at the Bosnian Culture Center in Grand Rapids.
Kowalski-Braun will examine the definitions of the terms “social justice” and “inclusion and equity”, while Redzic will discuss how his Islamic faith pushes him to participate in social justice.
The annual lecture is named for Rabbi Phillip J. Sigal, a pioneer of the interfaith movement in West Michigan until his death in 1995. Aside from his duties at Ahavas Israel Synagogue, Sigal was instrumental in opening the lines of communication among several religions in the area. After his death, a group of local academic and interfaith enthusiasts established the Sigal Memorial Lecture in his honor. Since that time, the event has brought some of the most important voices in religion and social movements to churches, schools and other venues in West Michigan.
This year’s lecture is sponsored by Campus Interfaith Resources and the Kaufman Interfaith Institute.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University Opera Theatre students will bring to life Rodgers and Hammerstein’s first collaboration, Oklahoma!, which remains, in many ways, their most innovative work, having set the standards and established the rules of musical theater still being followed today.
Set in the West just after the turn of the century, the high-spirited rivalry between the local farmers and cowboys provides the colorful background against which Curly, a handsome cowboy, and Laurey, a winsome farm girl, play out their love story. Although the road to true love never runs smoothly with these two headstrong romantics holding the reins, love’s journey is as bumpy as a surrey ride down a country road. Succeeding in making a new life together and beginning that new life in a brand-new state provides the ultimate climax for these characters in Oklahoma!
What:Oklahoma!
When: Feb. 2, 3, 9, 10, at 7:30 pm; Feb. 4, 11, at 2 pm
Where: Louis Armstrong Theatre, Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
Tickets: $14 for adults; $12 seniors and GVSU faculty, staff, alumni; $6 for students, groups — purchase tickets through the Louis Armstrong Theatre box office in-person Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., by calling 616.331.2300, or online at startickets.com
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
This single actor tour de force reveals the deeply personal and artistic sides of Russia’s most famous playwright, Anton Chekhov. The play begins with the dramatist immediately following the failure of his early masterpiece “The Seagull” (1895) and concludes with the success of “The Cherry Orchard” (1903).
Written by Karen Sunde, this semi-documentary drama skillfully captures the soul and the spirit of this giant of the modern stage struggling with his literary identity, with the opinions of an often-hostile public, and with the challenges of pursuing romance and serving as head of a family.
The one-man show will be performed by Roger Ellis, professor of theater at Grand Valley State University.
What: ‘Anton, Himself: First and Last’
When: Jan. 19 and 20, at 7:30 pm, Jan. 21, at 2 pm
Where: Linn Maxwell Keller Black Box Theatre, Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
Tickets: $12 for adults; $10 seniors and GVSU faculty, staff, alumni; $6 for students, groups — purchase tickets through the Louis Armstrong Theatre box office in-person Monday-Friday from 10 am-5 pm, by calling 616.331.2300, or online at startickets.com
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Pianist Mika Sasaki has established herself as a sought-after soloist, chamber musician and emerging educator. Since her concerto debut with the Sinfonia of Cambridge in the United Kingdom at the age of 7, she has appeared twice with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and more recently with the 92Y Orchestra in New York City. She has performed at venues including the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Peter J. Sharp Theater, Palazzo Chigi Saracini (Italy), Minato Mirai Hall (Japan) and Tokyo Bunka Kaikan (Japan). Her solo debut album “Obsidian: Mika Sasaki plays Clara Schumann” was released on Yarlung Records in 2016.
What: Mika Sasaki, piano
When: Jan. 19, at 7:30 pm
Where: Sherman Van Solkema Hall (room 1325), Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
For more than 40 years, Herbert Murrie had a successful advertising and design career based in Chicago. However, because of his artistic upbringing and drive, he always returned to the studio in pursuit of a more spontaneous and freeing output.
In 1988, Murrie began painting more seriously and by the late 1990s, he was exhibiting regularly. Over the next 15 years, evidence of his freed state leapt off the canvas. Controlled manipulation of paint and color bore witness to his understanding of design, while his process of working intuitively noted elements of the artistic movements he grew up with in the mid-20th Century.
Like many artists, Murrie often steps away from his art and then returns to work on pieces in his studio that he feels are unfinished. This exhibition examines the ebb and flow of his creative process, while looking back at his painting career and forward to a new body of work. It includes 26 pieces that span his career as a painter — from 1995 to the present. They are drawn out of private collections and the Grand Valley State University permanent art collection, which includes 16 works that were donated by Herbert and Lisa Murrie in 2015.
What: ‘Ebb and Flow: Explorations in Painting by Herbert Murrie’ Exhibition
Two women who started national movements against acts of oppression will visit Grand Valley State University as keynote speakers during the campus’ 2018 commemoration of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
April Reign, creator of the viral hashtag #OscarsSoWhite, is slated as the speaker on Monday, Jan. 15; and Bree Newsome, who climbed a flagpole in South Carolina in 2015 to remove a Confederate flag, is the Wednesday, Jan. 17, speaker.
Reign is an attorney and writer who lives in Washington, D.C. In 2015, she sent a tweet critical of the 88th Academy Awards ceremony and lack of people of color nominated in major acting and directing categories. Her #OscarsSoWhite tweet went viral and was a catalyst for a social media movement and caused the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to change its membership policies and voting rules.
Reign now has a social media following of more than 100,000, and is listed among the top 15 accounts on #BlackTwitter by the National Journal. She regularly appears at academic institutions, entertainment networks and studios to speak about diversity and inclusion.
As part of a collaborative effort among Grand Valley, Grand Rapids Community College and Davenport University, Reign also will give presentations at GRCC, Fountain Street Church in Grand Rapids and Davenport’s campus during her two-day stay in West Michigan.
Bree Newsome
Newsome is a filmmaker and artist who was in the national spotlight in 2015 when the climbed a flagpole in Columbia, South Carolina — the state’s capital — to lower its Confederate flag. Her action came shortly after the mass shooting of nine African American parishioners at a church in Charleston, South Carolina. She was arrested along with another activist and soon #FreeBree was a Twitter trend and $100,000 raised for her $3,000 jail fine.
Her actions stirred the political pot in many communities. The Confederate flag was permanently removed from the statehouse by then-Gov. Nikki Haley and discussion moved across the country considering flags and monuments.
Newsome lives in North Carolina and works as an artist and community organizer. She earned the 2016 NAACP Image Award and was named to the Ebony 100, recognizing her commitment to civil rights.
Grand Valley’s 2018 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Week will run Jan. 15-20; visit gvsu.edu/mlkfor updates.
A new report from researchers on charitable giving has found that the growing trend of collective giving is helping foster diversity in philanthropy.
Collective giving groups, which are often known as giving circles, have become an increasingly popular way for donors with diverse backgrounds to support charitable organizations or projects of mutual interest.
The study was conducted by the Collective Giving Research Group (CGRG), which includes Jason Franklin, the W.K. Kellogg Community Philanthropy chair at Grand Valley State University’s Johnson Center for Philanthropy.
The study focused on the current scope and scale of collective giving groups in order to understand their impact on donor giving and civic engagement.
Researchers found that giving circles have engaged at least 150,000 people in all 50 states and given as much as $1.29 billion since their inception. A majority of giving circles are created around a particular identity — including groups based on gender, race, age and religion. Giving circles have become more inclusive of income levels as the average and most frequent amount given by individual donors may be decreasing, while total dollars donated by giving circles are increasing.
“Giving circles are a powerful tool to democratize and diversify philanthropy, engage new donors and increase local giving,” Franklin said. “This research sheds critically needed new light on this popular form of collective giving. In a time when philanthropy is increasingly focused on the giving habits of billionaires, this research is an important reminder that everyday givers are coming together and pooling their resources to make a difference in their communities and for the issues they care about.”
Other key findings include:
• Collaborative giving is becoming more inclusive with donors from a wide range of income levels.
Giving circles have always provided avenues for those without substantial means to participate in significant giving, but this latest study suggests these groups now attract members from a wider range of income levels. Today, minimum dollar amounts required for participation range from less than $20 to $2 million, and the average donation amount was found to be $1,312 – compared to $2,809 in 2007.
• Identity-based groups make up 60 percent of giving circles and drive much of the growth in collaborative giving.
Giving circles attract many types of people, including those who may not typically engage in institutional philanthropy. Most groups are formed around a specific identity including groups based on gender, race, age and religion.
• Women dominate giving circle membership, making up 70 percent of all members. This collective model of giving is particularly popular among women. While men have a presence in 66 percent of giving circles, they are only the majority of members in 7.5 percent of groups.
• Giving circles are connected to each other and to philanthropy.
Networks of giving circles have emerged since 2007, with 25 networks now in existence. Today, 45 percent of identified giving circles participate in a network or alliance group. Community foundations, corporate partners and other outside donors view these collective giving groups as an effective way to give, with 52 percent of giving circles receiving additional funds or grants from these sources.
The study was conducted by the Collective Giving Research Group and was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, via the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, and by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Researchers who co-authored the report with Franklin include Jessica Bearman from Bearman Consulting; Julie Carboni, Syracuse University; and Angela Eikenberry, University of Nebraska at Omaha.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
In fall 2016, Maya Grant traveled to India on a study abroad scholarship from the GVSU Padnos International Center. Grant, a sociology major, was led to India by a need to escape and explore. She studied at Christ University in Bengaluru, volunteered at a local non-profit and captured her experiences and interactions through photography. On the weekends, Grant joined a group of expats called the Bangalore Wanderlusters, and traveled throughout Karnataka and its neighboring states. This exhibition includes more than 25 photographs documenting her experiences studying abroad, and exploring the landscape and people of India.
What: ‘Traveling with the Bangalore Wanderlusters: Reflections on a Semester in India by Maya Grant’
When: Exhibition on display through March 2
Where: Blue Wall Gallery (Building B), DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
From 1940-1960, the Australian government forced Aboriginal groups off their lands and into organized communities of the Central Desert region and along the northern coast. Papunya, located about 150 miles northwest of Alice Springs, was the final community established to collect these displaced groups, and where the contemporary Australian Aboriginal art movement began.
This exhibition is drawn out of a recent gift of Australian Aboriginal paintings to Grand Valley State University, created by artists from Papunya and the surrounding region. It features artwork that provides insight into Aboriginal life, retellings of important ancient stories and symbols, and the sacred sites of this vast and arid landscape.
What:‘Drawn from the Desert: Australian Aboriginal Paintings from the Central and Western Deserts’
When: Exhibition on display through March 2
Where: Kirkhof Center Gallery (main floor), Allendale Campus
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Tony Fitzpatrick was born in 1958, and raised in and around Chicago as a member of a large middle-class Irish Catholic family. His father worked as a burial vault salesman, and often took Tony along to appointments around the city when he was suspended from school. Drawing was a pervasive part of his life, and he’d sketch anything that caught his eye. He graduated from Montini Catholic High School in 1977, untrained in the arts. Over the years, Fitzpatrick spent time as boxer, bartender, actor, waiter and tattoo artist. These experiences, coupled with an insatiable appetite for drawing, had a profound effect on his work.
This exhibition features 21 etchings by the artist. They are drawn out of a recent gift to Grand Valley State University’s permanent art collection of more than 120 works on paper. Filled with strange and magical beasts, they draw on his childhood imagination, Catholic upbringing and immersive experience in street culture.
What: ‘Strange & Magical Beasts: Etchings by Tony Fitzpatrick’
When: Exhibit on display through March 2
Where: West Wall Gallery, L. V. Eberhard Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Virginia Jenkins is a professor and former chair of the Department of Visual and Media Arts at Grand Valley State University. Landscape forms and images have been the primary focus of her work for more than two decades, and her areas of specialty are in painting, drawing and mixed media. This exhibition is drawn from a recent series created in response to the landscape of the Northwest coast of the United States.
What: ‘Landscapes, Color & Light: Paintings by Virginia Jenkins’
When: Exhibition on display through March 2
Where: Red Wall Gallery, Lake Ontario Hall (first floor), Allendale Campus
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
The German-born American artist Mathias Joseph Alten (1871-1938) is often referred to as the dean of Michigan painters. Working in a traditional representational style, Alten incorporated the aesthetics and techniques of the Impressionist Movement in paintings infused with light and punctuated with deft brushwork. Based in Grand Rapids, Alten created more than 3,800 works over a more than 40-year career, including landscapes, seascapes, portraits and florals.
Grand Valley State University holds the largest public collection of Alten’s work in the world.
What: ‘Mathias J. Alten: An Evolving Legacy’
When: Exhibition dates: ongoing
Where: George and Barbara Gordon Gallery, DeVos Center, Building E, Room 103 and 202, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
Hours: Gordon Gallery hours are Friday and Saturday, 1-5 p.m.; closed on holiday weekends
For more information about Art Gallery exhibitions, visit gvsu.edu/artgallery or call 616.331.3638.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Arts at Noon
Arts at Noon brings nationally and internationally-known musicians to Grand Valley State University for 14 performances each academic year. All Arts at Noon concerts will take place in the Cook-DeWitt Center, located on the Allendale Campus. They will begin at noon and last approximately one hour. Every concert is free and open to the public. For more information about Arts at Noon, visit gvsu.edu/artsatnoon or contact Henry Duitman, series coordinator, at duitmanh@gvsu.edu.
December 6 – GVSU Brass Quintet Holiday Concert
The annual holiday concert featuring the GVSU Brass Quintet is an Arts at Noon tradition. The ensemble is comprised of Grand Valley State University music faculty, including Alex Wilson (trumpet), Richard Britsch (horn), Mark Williams (trombone), Paul Carlson (tuba) and visiting performer Paul Hardaker (trumpet). Each year, the quintet also performs multiple outreach concerts, and facilitates master classes and coaching sessions at high schools throughout Michigan.
Theatre at Grand Valley presents “Cabaret”
When: December 1-2, at 7:30 pm, December 3, at 2 pm
Where: Linn Maxwell Keller Black Box Theatre, Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
Tickets: $12 adults, $10 seniors and GVSU alumni, faculty and staff, $6 students and groups “Cabaret” takes place in Berlin, Germany, in 1930. American novelist, Cliff, is searching for inspiration when he finds lodging at Frau Schneider’s residence above the notorious Kit Kat Club. Led by a saucy emcee and Sally Bowles, a sassy showgirl, the free-wheeling performers at the club turn Cliff’s world upside down. Can Cliff and Sally find happiness as anti-Semitism and homophobia are on the rise?
GVSU Early Music Ensemble Concert
When: December 2, at 3 pm
Where: Sherman Van Solkema Recital Hall (room 1325), Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
Grand Valley State University’s Early Music Ensemble performs under the direction of Pablo Mahave-Veglia, professor of cello. This event is free and open to the public.
GVSU Fall Dance Concert
When: December 2, at 7 pm, December 3, at 2 pm
Where: Louis Armstrong Theatre, Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
During this fall dance concert at Grand Valley State University, which is free and open to the public, the GVSU Dance Company and Freshman Dance Company will perform a diverse collection of dance works.
GVSU Choral Concert
When: December 5, at 7:30 pm
Where: Cook-DeWitt Center, Allendale Campus
This concert at Grand Valley State University will feature the vocal expertise of three ensembles: Select Women’s Ensemble, University Singers and Cantate Chamber Ensemble. The Select Women’s Ensemble has earned a reputation for quality performances of challenging choral literature and performing both accompanied and a cappella repertoire that is representative of a variety of musical periods and styles. University Singers is comprised of students from all majors; over 90 percent of its members are non-music majors. The Cantate Chamber Ensemble is dedicated to the artistic performance of distinctive a cappella choral music for a small ensemble.
GVSU Concert Band Concert
When: December 6, at 7 pm
Where: Louis Armstrong Theatre, Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
For this concert at Grand Valley State University, which is free and open to the public, the GVSU Concert Band will perform a variety of selections, including “A Feast of Wind Treats,” “An American Fanfare,” “Ave Maria,” “Second Suite in F,” “Chimes of Liberty,” “Song for Lindsay,” and “Vesuvius.”
GVSU Symphonic Wind Ensemble Concert
When: December 8, at 7:30 pm
Where: Louis Armstrong Theatre, Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
The Grand Valley State University Symphonic Wind Ensemble will perform under the direction of Kevin Tutt during this free concert, which is open to the public. The Symphonic Wind Ensemble is widely recognized as one of the elite undergraduate wind ensembles, committed to the performance of the finest band literature. In 2016, the Symphonic Wind Ensemble released its first CD, titled “Under Western Skies,” which is available on iTunes and Amazon.
GVSU Varsity Men’s Glee Club Concert
When: December 9, at 7:30 pm
Where: Cook-DeWitt Center, Allendale Campus
The Grand Valley State University Varsity Men’s Glee Club is an all-male ensemble comprising young men who represent a variety of musical and academic disciplines. The ensemble’s diverse repertoire includes literature that spans from Gregorian chant to the 21st century music.
GVSU Fall Senior Dance Concert
When: December 9, at 7 pm, December 10, at 2 pm
Where: Dance Studio Theatre, room 1600, Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
Join GVSU senior dance majors for a showcase of new works created as a part of their capstone projects. This concert will feature the diverse and unique choreographic visions of five students: Sarah Byington, Coral Howard, Mackenzie Matyn, Leigha McDaniel and Hannah Suydam. This event is free and open to the public.
Dan Graser Faculty-Artist Recial: The Solo Saxophone
When: December 10, at 7:30-9 pm
Where: Sherman Van Solkema Recital Hall (room 1325), Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
Dan Graser, saxophonist and assistant professor of saxophone at Grand Valley State University, will present a free recital of the history of solo works for wind instruments in the 20th/21st centuries. This recital is free and open to the public.
For more information about Music, Theatre and Dance Department events, contact 616.331.3484 or visit gvsu.edu/mtd.
On Christmas Eve in France, churches and cathedrals are lit with candles, church bells can be heard ringing throughout the air and Christmas carols are sung by thousands of people. After midnight mass, French families traditionally celebrate with a feast called “le réveillon” — a cherished household tradition celebrating family, with food and wine that can last up to six hours until the dawn of Christmas morning.
Fall Arts Celebration at Grand Valley will honor these French holiday traditions through music with a large symphony orchestra performing selections including Renaissance composer Guillaume Du Fay’s “Magnificat,” Francis Poulenc’s “Gloria,” and France’s most beloved holiday carols, including “Pat-a-pan, Il est né, le divin Enfant” and “Minuit, Chrétiens” (O Holy Night).
“Noël, Noël, Joyeux Noël: A Celebration of French Music for the Holiday Season” will take place Monday, Dec. 4, at 7:30 p.m., at Fountain Street Church, 24 Fountain St. NE.
The GVSU Symphony Orchestra will accompany a 90-member chorus, including Grand Valley’s University Arts Chorale and high school choir students from East Grand Rapids and Hudsonville. The processional will spotlight eight Grand Valley dance majors who will be dancing in the aisles. The Grand Rapids Symphony Junior Youth Chorus will also be featured, and Ashley Neumann, ’08, will return to perform as soprano soloist in Poulenc’s “Gloria.”
“Music is an integral part of this wonderful time of year as hearing the ageless melodies of the Christmas season often transports us back to when the excitement of Christmas morning was the best time of the year,” said Danny Phipps, chair of the Music, Theatre, and Dance Department.
For more information about Fall Arts Celebration, visit gvsu.edu/fallarts.
Edward Aboufadel has been named a Fellow by the American Association of the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for his contributions to the advancement of science or its applications. Aboufadel is the first Grand Valley State University faculty member to be named an AAAS Fellow.
“My initial reaction to receiving this award was one of pleasant surprise, because I was not aware that I was a nominee,” said Aboufadel, assistant vice president for Academic Affairs and professor of mathematics.
Aboufadel has been a member of AAAS since 1987, serving in a variety of roles, including secretary, an officer in the Mathematics Section of the organization, and task force chair.
Beyond his work with the AAAS, Aboufadel said he takes pride in his on-going program of scholarship in applied mathematics during his more than 20 years at Grand Valley. Much of his work has consisted of conducting research with undergraduate students. Some of his projects have included mathematically-based 3D printing designs, hiding messages in images, and the analysis of pollution in river systems using subway-like maps.
Aboufadel said he is most proud of a project through which he and two of his students helped develop an app called Street Bump. The app uses a wavelet-based algorithm to detect potholes within the city of Boston. Aboufadel and his students received a prize from the city for their work.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
The annual holiday concert featuring the GVSU Brass Quintet is an Arts at Noon tradition. The ensemble comprises Grand Valley State University music faculty, including Alex Wilson (trumpet), Richard Britsch (horn), Mark Williams (trombone), Paul Carlson (tuba) and visiting performing Paul Hardaker (trumpet). Each year, the quintet also performs multiple outreach concerts, and facilitates master classes and coaching sessions at high schools throughout Michigan.
When: December 6 at noon
Where: Cook-DeWitt Center, located on the Allendale Campus
Arts at Noon
Arts at Noon brings nationally and internationally-known musicians to Grand Valley State University for 14 performances each academic year. All Arts at Noon concerts will take place in the Cook-DeWitt Center, located on the Allendale Campus. They will begin at noon and last approximately one hour. Every concert is free and open to the public. For more information about Arts at Noon, visit gvsu.edu/artsatnoon or contact Henry Duitman, series coordinator, at duitmanh@gvsu.edu.
For more information about Music, Theatre and Dance Department events, contact 616.331.3484 or visit gvsu.edu/mtd.
In Berlin, Germany, in 1930, three years before Adolf Hitler came to power, Cliff, an American novelist, is searching for inspiration when he finds lodging at Frau Schneider’s boarding house above the notorious and racy Kit Kat Club. Led by a saucy Emcee and Sally Bowles, a sassy showgirl and British singer, the free-wheeling performers at the club turn Cliff’s world upside down while the power of the Nazi party lurks just beyond the club’s doors.
This is the plot of “Cabaret,” which Grand Valley students will perform Nov. 16-18, 29 and 30, and Dec. 1-2 at 7:30 p.m., and Nov. 19 and Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. All performances will take place in the Linn Maxwell Keller Black Box Theatre, located in the Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts.
“These characters are focused on having a good time and living in an environment that is free and liberated, but what they fail to realize, or refuse to realize, is that a change in German politics is allowing the Nazi party to come to power,” said Dennis Henry, director and visiting professor of theater. “’Cabaret’ is a warning about the need for everyone to know what is going on in politics in order to prevent the rise of evil.”
Lindsey Normington, a senior majoring in communication studies who plays Sally Bowles, said that portraying her character’s denial has been her biggest hurdle during rehearsals.
“I’m the type of person who is generally very concerned when I feel like I see someone being treated unfairly,” she said. “Sally gives off a happy-go-lucky vibe, but she is more interested deep down in protecting herself over others.”
“Cabaret” marks the first theater performance to take place in the new Keller Theatre, and Henry said the production will take full advantage of the black box theater’s ability to provide flexible staging and audience seating formations.
“For this first production, we are arranging the seats in an ‘arena’ configuration, with the audience on all four sides of the playing space,” he said. “Since much of the play takes place in the Kit Kat Club, this arrangement will give the audience the feeling of being in the club with the performers, and there will even be some limited table seating on the edges of the stage itself.”
While the themes of “Cabaret” are serious in nature, Henry said the play itself is light-hearted.
“The songs are classics that will stick in your head and the characters of Sally and the emcee are some of the most popular and memorable characters of the American theater cannon,” he explained.
Ticket prices are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and Grand Valley alumni, faculty and staff, and $6 for students and groups. To purchase tickets, contact the Louis Armstrong Theatre Box Office at 616-331-2300 or visit startickets.com.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Vu Tran
Vu Tran’s first novel, Dragonfish, was a New York Times Notable Book and one of the San Francisco Chronicle’s Best Books of the Year. His short fiction has appeared in O. Henry Prize Stories, Best American Mystery Stories, and many other publications.He is the winner of a Whiting Writers’ Award and has received fellowships from Bread Loaf, the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, Vermont Studio Center, and the MacDowell Colony.
Born in Vietnam and raised in Oklahoma, Vu received his MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a doctoral degree from the Black Mountain Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is currently an assistant professor of practice in English and creative writing at the University of Chicago.
What: Craft talk
When: November 14, 2:30-3:45 pm
Where: Kirkhof Center, room 2266 (Allendale Campus)
What: Reading and book signing
When: November 14, 6-7:30 pm
Where: Cook-DeWitt Center (Allendale Campus)
Authors from around the world will visit Grand Valley State University’s Allendale Campus as part of the 2017-18 Grand Valley Writers Series. The series has a rich history of bringing distinguished and emerging writers to campus to read work, visit classrooms and interact with students. For more information about the GV Writers Series, visit gvsu.edu/writing.
“Mathias J. Alten: An Evolving Legacy”
Exhibition dates: ongoing
George and Barbara Gordon Gallery
DeVos Center, Building E, Room 103 and 202, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
Gordon Gallery hours: Friday and Saturday, 1-5 p.m.; closed on holiday weekends
The German-born American artist, Mathias Joseph Alten (1871-1938) is often referred to as the dean of Michigan painters. Working in a traditional representational style, Alten incorporated the aesthetics and techniques of the Impressionist Movement in paintings infused with light and punctuated with deft brushwork. Based in Grand Rapids, Alten created more than 3,800 works over a more than 40-year career, including landscapes, seascapes, portraits and florals. Grand Valley State University holds the largest public collection of Alten’s work in the world.
‘Kunnnby’ – Bush Lolly Dreaming
“Drawn from the Desert: Australian Aboriginal Paintings from the Central and Western Deserts”
Exhibit on display through March 2, 2018
Kirkhof Center Gallery, Allendale Campus
From 1940-1960, the Australian government forced Aboriginal groups off their lands and into organized communities of the Central Desert region and along the northern coast. Papunya, located about 150 miles northwest of Alice Springs, was the final community established to collect these displaced groups, and where the contemporary Australian Aboriginal art movement began. This exhibition is drawn out of a recent gift of Australian Aboriginal paintings to Grand Valley State University, created by artists from Papunya and the surrounding region. It features artwork that provides insight into Aboriginal life, retellings of important ancient stories and symbols, and the sacred sites of this vast and arid landscape.
“Balloon Popping” Nau-Kim
“2017 SeoulTech & GVSU Art & Design Student Exchange Exhibition”
Exhibit on display through December 8
Red Wall Gallery, Lake Ontario Hall (first floor), Allendale Campus
This exhibition continues the collaboration between Grand Valley State University and Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SeoulTech), that was started in 2008. It features 40 photographs of artwork by SeoulTech art students, while a similar number of photographs by GVSU art and design students were sent to South Korea for a partner exhibition.
“Hunkered Down” Virginia Jenkins
“Landscapes, Color & Light: Paintings by Virginia Jenkins”
Exhibition dates: December 15, 2017-March 2, 2018
Red Wall Gallery, Lake Ontario Hall (first floor), Allendale Campus
Virginia Jenkins is a professor and former chair of the Department of Visual and Media Arts at Grand Valley State University. Landscape forms and images have been the primary focus of her work for over two decades, and her areas of specialty are in painting, drawing and mixed media. This exhibition is drawn from a recent series created in response to the landscape of the Northwest coast of the United States.
“Traveling with the Bangalore Wanderlusters: Reflections on a Semester in India by Maya Grant”
Exhibition on display through March 2, 2018
Blue Wall Gallery (Building B), DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
In the fall of 2016, Maya Grant travelled to India on a study abroad scholarship from the GVSU Padnos International Center. Grant, a sociology major, was led to India by a need to escape and explore. She studied at Christ University in Bengaluru, volunteered at a local non-profit and captured her experiences and interactions through photography. On the weekends, Grant joined a group of expats called the Bangalore Wanderlusters, and traveled throughout Karnataka and its neighboring states. This exhibition includes more than 25 photographs documenting her experiences studying abroad, and exploring the landscape and people of India.
For more information about Art Gallery exhibitions, visit gvsu.edu/artgallery or call 616-331-3638.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Cabaret takes place in Berlin, Germany, in 1930. American novelist, Cliff, is searching for inspiration when he finds lodging at Frau Schneider’s residence above the notorious Kit Kat Club. Led by a saucy emcee and Sally Bowles, a sassy showgirl, the free-wheeling performers at the club turn Cliff’s world upside down. Can Cliff and Sally find happiness as anti-Semitism and homophobia are on the rise?
When: November 16, 17, 18, 29, 30, and December 1, 2, at 7:30 pm; November 19 and December 3, at 2 pm.
Where: Linn Maxwell Keller Black Box Theatre, Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
Tickets: $12 adults, $10 seniors and GVSU alumni, faculty and staff, $6 students and groups
‘Kunnnby’ – Bush Lolly Dreaming, Michael Nelson Tjakamarra, Acrylic on Canvas
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
From 1940-1960, the Australian government forced Aboriginal groups off their lands and into organized communities of the Central Desert region and along the northern coast. Papunya, located about 150 miles northwest of Alice Springs, was the final community established to collect these displaced groups, and where the contemporary Australian Aboriginal art movement began. This exhibition is drawn out of a recent gift of Australian Aboriginal paintings to Grand Valley State University, created by artists from Papunya and the surrounding region. It features artwork that provides insight into Aboriginal life, retellings of important ancient stories and symbols, and the sacred sites of this vast and arid landscape.
