It has been a few months since ArtServ was in our area but each time they come, they always bring a solid set of speakers. Our creative community can count on them to present on a timely topic as well as leave us with the necessary tools to ensure the growth and prosperity as our community moves forward. This single afternoon Protecting Your Practice session will feature a discussion with a panel of Michigan creative leaders who will be addressing critical items like taxes and financial management (good timing for next year's IRS 4/15/15 date), legal protections for artists (including the ...

Each year everyone who shows up at Record Store Day is prepared for two sure things. One is that, in a nod to the classic song by the Rolling Stones, sometimes we get what we want, and other times we get what we need. Record Store Day can break your heart. It's not the fault of your local record stores at all. They place a bid on what they think their customers will want and then hope, out of the more than 400 new vinyl titles slated to be released this year, that the great vinyl genie in some far off mythical village called Recordland will deliver what they want to their bins. Seriously, ...

There is probably no other artist in the history of musical theatre who can look out on his book of music and witness as many multi-generational fans singing its tunes. And with all due respect to another Stephen (Sondheim, my personal favorite), the music of this particular Stephen (Schwartz) has bridged many worlds in his lifetime and Circle Theatre of Grand Rapids will present a two-day showcase to his legacy in song on stage at the Aquinas College Performing Arts Center. This new, staged repertoire of songs, Circle Celebrates: The Music of Stephen Schwartz, under the musical direction of ...

As Rapid Growth takes a week off, G-Sync's Lifestyle Editor knows that while some may be heading to a sunny shore, others may elect to stay closer to home to spend some time with their families and friends in the city. So in an attempt to help you survive a week of togetherness in a 24/7 spring break environment, here are more than seven days' worth of local activities you might want to consider for your family -- and some simply for you as an adult. Thursday – Sunday, April 3 - 6: Each year Grand Rapids is invited to dive deep into a collection of films at the Latin American ...

I cannot seem to go more than one night these days without someone asking me if I have seen RuPaul's Drag Race. And with the show in its 6th season (and with season seven ordered up after a record 1,000,000 likes to the question if it should return or not), you would think that I would have seen it. But I have not. What I can say I have seen is plenty of local acts over the years since I stumbled in a club one night when the majority of the bars in the city central were gay bars. On Sunday, PowerDiva Productions, who has been producing shows all over our state, will present the 10th annual ...

There are few artists for whom I will drop everything I am doing to see their handiwork and one of those people is Miranda Sharp, co-owner of the newly opened Glitter Milk Gallery on the West Side of Grand Rapids, who has curated the new show Die Cut that opens on Saturday night. Sharp, along with partner and furniture artist Josh McVety, is celebrating the grand opening of the new space with a fresh twist on the gallery show. Starting Saturday, Sharp brings together a collection of artists who are creating stickers that can be purchased and later distributed as the collector sees fit. Not ...

After months of producing techno-fueled events and featuring electronic dance music (EDM) artists from all over our state at the Creston neighborhood's Quinn and Tuite's Irish Pub, the guys at Drift222 have a solid act they are bringing into the area. This time, instead of focusing on solely on techno, Drift222's selection of Israel's Infected Mushroom – a psytrance act - is a solid if not a bold choice. There will be a world of sounds they rope and ride over the bass-thumping room (and a sea of excited hands raised high in the air.) Infected Mushroom is in the middle of ...

If there is one thing we know about Grand Rapids, it is that this city prides itself these days on not adhering to old viewpoints that seem hollow in the light of a new century. This would explain the 2:1 win at the ballot box in 2012 as voters affirmed to remove the harsh and cruel penalties around the marijuana possession laws impacting the city of Grand Rapids. The result was a changing of the consequence for simple possession from a misdemeanor to a civil infraction. Many may recall leading up to that historic city vote, the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts programmed the ...

Starting something new is always a bit scary, but on Saturday night a familiar event will be back in an exciting way (but with something very fresh) at The Meanwhile Bar. When Con Artist Crew's 3rd annual We Own The Night exhibition opens, it will be the first big run of an event that promises a delicious mix of technology and art to advance the sale of artwork on a world-wide platform. This new platform for buying art will connect the prospective buyer to an artist’s bio along with other details about the exhibition. The launch of  CAC's ArtLustr with StartGarden might seem ...

For about the cost of 3.5 glasses of wine at your favorite eatery, you can travel not just around the world in a glass, but have a chance to sample some of the most eclectic and valuable wines this side of your rich uncle's wine cellar. As a fundraiser, I cannot think of a better way to celebrate our local St. Cecilia Music Center (SCMC) and the way their commitment to music in our region is enriching our lives. The selection of wines and beers to be offered on Friday night have been carefully curated by Heritage Hill's Martha’s Vineyard and will feature their Top 100 highly ...

If you are seeking to shake up your views of what a ballet company can do these days, then lucky for you, just a few steps away from the center of downtown the Grand Rapids Ballet (GRB) welcomes their third installment of the lively and energetic MOVEMEDIA. This annual dance showcase features brand spanking new works of choreography from an international roster of artists who will be intersecting dance with stunning advances in visual elements of set construction, costuming and even the latest in technology and digital media to transform the experience in the never-a-bad-seat-in-the-house ...

Grand Valley State University welcomes another guest author to West Michigan as they celebrate the completion of their Ninth Annual Community Read project with The Distance Between Us: A Memoir by Reyna Grande. The author, who was born in Mexico but immigrated to the USA when she was nine years old, is the winner of many notable awards in literature. Her 2006 novel Across a Hundred Mountains received an American Book Award, the El Premio Aztlan Literary Award, and a Latino Books Into Movies Award. Her second novel, published in 2009, Dancing with Butterflies, received the 2010 International ...

For their third home game of 2014, the Grand Raggidy Roller Girls are about to welcome one of the top teams in the world to our city when they face the Chicago Outfit's Shade Brigade in this weekend's double header. For this match, the Girls are eager to get a win under their belt because of the prestige such a win over Chicago would surely deliver for our local team, whose members broke into the world Top 40 ranking (out of more than 200+ international league teams) in the 2012-2013 season. "I feel great about how the Attack is skating. The skaters on Attack never give up, they ...

As we enter the last few days of March (and Women's History Month), for the women (and men) of this region, who embrace the DIY/DIT (Do It Yourself / Do It Together) culture, it must be time for the return of the annual LadyfestGR event. Kicking off the day again this year is a series of free workshops taught by women and often revolving around topics of their concern. Again, men are welcome – this isn't the Women's Music Festival in Hart after all. The workshops held in three locations, including Heartside Ministry (54 S. Division Ave), Have Company (136 S. Division Ave), ...

Within the arts there are many wonderful moments that are produced through the mixing of media. This Friday the South Bend, Indiana act White Trash Blues Revival (WTBR) comes to the Westside of the city for a night that will not only push boundaries but also excite the imagination of music lovers. On the surface, WTBR is a four-piece blues band made up of Joe Bent on skiddley-bow and vocals, Jeff ‘Ando’ Anderson on washtub, Brenn ‘Sausage Paw’ Beck and Pete Dio on percussion. But what they are able to do with these instruments is remarkable as they blend traditional ...

If there are two things I know very well when March rolls around it is this: A bunch of my friends who are into sports will suddenly be unavailable as March Madness' first rounds take over the workplace with a series of games that makes focusing impossible. And secondly, my accountant will come calling, asking why I did not have more deductions. (We all can use a nudge to give more.) Luckily, two events coming up can help us solve both problems. The first opportunity for the sports-minded is to attend the annual Work In, this year being held at The Mitten Brewing Company on March 20 for ...

It is no secret that the secret to telling a story is a good visual. The Beehive Design Collective, a group of artists who have spent many years traveling around the country listening to the stories of America, create an impressive, beautiful, rich, graphic, and visual story of place. Their newest work, Rock Bottom, is finally complete and they will be at the UICA for a one-night presentation that promises to enthrall all those who venture out to see the Bees. The Bees’ story moves beyond the headlines or simply telling the news via their visual style. Instead, they offer stories through ...

Some of my favorite memories as a child growing up in Flint were times when I was able to attend the Longway Planetarium. So years later, after arriving here, when I had the chance to attend the Grand Rapids Public Museum's Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium (named after the Grand Rapids-born astronaut, Roger Bruce Chaffee, who lost his life in the 1967 Apollo 1 spacecraft fire), I was always a bit disappointed at the lack of a real punch that I recalled from my childhood experience. That is about to change this weekend, as the public is invited to start re-visiting the planetarium, which ...

Mystery Science Theater 3000 has long been a part of the culture, so as a part of LaughFest's fondness for big, bold ideas, the wildly popular version of this film talkback program will leap from Dog Story Theater to the big screen at Wealthy Theatre for a special LaughFest edition simply titled WST3K. The event is a collection of Michigan’s best comedic talent who will, in real time just like the popular TV show, improvise new dialog and sound effects as the film is projected live on the big screen. The film this time is the 1974 cult favorite, Black Fist. The flim is so bad it ...

It's no secret to those who have traveled that as a city grows, so will the desire to find those spaces where play can commence freely. In cities both near and far, I've witnessed the way that people playing chess in a park setting creates community, and noticed that the simple application of chalk to a sidewalk can invite passerby to engage in a hop down memory lane (regardless of age) for a game of hopscotch. But it is winter, so where do we go? On Sunday night The Pyramid Scheme, a venue known for their monthly free pinball championships, is welcoming the traveling event Board ...

There is no shortage of places to have your funny bone tickled around town in the next couple of weeks, but to laugh your pants off is something reserved for Sunday, when Gilda's Laughfest, the nation's only community-wide festival of laughter, will hold their first-ever FUNderwear Run 5K presented by Universal Forest Products. And while the racers are encouraged to sport their finest (and LOL!) underwear over their running clothes, it is no shock that a growing number of runners are threatening to run sans the pants in just a skin and undies combo that is sure to not only turn heads ...

Before the April 3rd Intersection Lounge's Infected Mushroom show, it might be the perfect time to begin your techno music education at a venue that is tiny in space (compared to the Section) but long on charm and powerful sonic pleasures. Surprising to me as I listen to the big dark beats of Memo as organizer Austin Churchill and I text back and forth, this act appearing live at Quinn and Tuites is not only playing in my neighborhood of Creston but it turns out that the artist who is Memnok, Jeremy Brown, is also a neighbor of mine. (Small world, right?) Brown, a native of West Michigan, ...

For those who have had enough of the cold, might I suggest something that might break the chill? A room full of warm bodies huddled around looking at hot new art? On Friday night LaFontsee Galleries in East Hills is premiering a fascinating new group show of artworks created this winter from their gallery artists and titled, aptly, Out of the Polar Vortex. This fascinating new work is from artists who, like many of us, have been holed up more than usual because of the historic extreme cold and the impassible conditions it produced for many in our region. And while time will tell if there is an ...

What can be said about Laughfest that has not already been written or that will possibly get your attention? Probably not a lot at this point since the ticket sales have been the best ever, with the 2014 gala headliner Jay Leno projected to sell out. So if you have been on the fence, don't wait much longer. Speaking of things not to miss out on, Rapid Growth sat down with Laughfest's director Joanne Roehm to get the skinny on what not to miss that is still available at the moment. For starters, those seeking to see Detroit native Lily Tomlin (Monday, Mar. 10) or the festival's ...

It is not a secret to those who live in West Michigan that a Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park membership is not just a solid investment in one of the country's most exciting contemporary arts center, but it is also the cheapest ticket out of our present condition of being too damn cold, so over the snow, and looking for a place to chase our winter blues away. Only a few steps from your car is the five-story Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory – just one of the many facilities in this ever-expanding venue devoted to arts and flowers. Okay, so maybe that is an over-simplified ...

"Bit by bit, putting it together/Piece by piece, only way to make a work of art/Every moment makes a contribution." This line is from the music number, "Putting It Together," and it opens act two of Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George -- a musical inspired by the painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat. And for those who have ever produced a large-scale work of art or had to curate a venue for an art exhibition, then you know all too well all the pieces that have to come together to make it work. This ...

The strange thing about producing a theatre production is that often it is all about timing -- and for Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, they have struck gold TWICE with their latest production of Les Misérables. First they struck gold when our community theater was the first one in the nation that the holder of the rights, Music Theatre International (MTI), called to offer up the rights to the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre and School of Theatre Arts. Previous to this offer, Les Misérables has enjoyed a healthy world-wide run in touring stock since its 1985 debut and had a small window of ...

As a former organizer of Live Coverage for many of its early, single-digit anniversary years and as a former (as well as current) 2014 participant in the wildly popular Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts' annual fundraiser, there is little I can add to the fact that, for one night, you will have a chance to meet more than 50 artists who have donated their time and talent to make this night an affair to remember. Works of art will be created in front of you that you can bid to purchase, and later in the evening a live auction of curated art pieces will go up on the auction block as well. ...

How do you improve upon a standard on our music scene? The short answer: When you are talking about the Jammies Awards show, held each year at The Intersection Lounge and honoring the best of our regions' music scene, you don't tinker with a sure thing. And why am I so sure? A quick call to Kevin Murphy, station manager of the Community Media Center's WYCE, confirms what many of us have known for years; West Michigan's music scene is one of the best kept secrets in the U.S.A. with more than 100 nominations this year and awards in 20 categories. The Jammies are a big deal! ...

The path to jazz vocalist Gregory Porter's Grammy Award on January 26, 2014 actually began at the 53th Grammy Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles, when he was nominated for his first Grammy for his debut release Water.   And while some may wait a lifetime (or longer) for the chance to simply get a nomination, Porter once again was nominated at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards for the title track from his sophomore release, So Good, with a Best Traditional R&B Performance. In 2014, when the envelope was opened, finally Porter struck Grammy gold at the 55th Grammy Awards Ceremony when the award ...

Grand Rapids Young Professionals (GRYP), Business Leaders Linked to Encourage New Directions (BL2END), and the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Greater Grand Rapids (YNPN) will be inviting their membership along with members of the community to gather and learn about the Grand Rapids Public School (GRPS) system from the very energetic and proud Superintendent Neal. While this is not the first time YNPN, Bl2end and GRYP have gathered together, (A New Conversation (ANC) hosted events in the past with these three groups), it is the first time that the three groups, whose leadership has ...

There is something really great about celebrating our 9th annual Taste of Soul Sunday at Grand Rapids Public Library (GRPL). Not only is this place known for holding a great selection of books truly committed to diversity, but this annual event is a chance to celebrate the African American residents of our community with a host of other community members as we enjoy an array of food samplings from local restaurants in addition to lectures by local authors, historians, and artists, music and children’s activities. This year's musical performances will include Karisa Wilson, VIP (Very ...

If you survived winter this far and felt that WinterWest was not enough, then migrate to the State Games of Michigan site, where you can choose from a host of activities to watch and participate in (with pre-registration) at their inaugural Winter Games. And while many of these events are played outside, it is a few of the inside events that truly stretch my definition of a winter sport (bowling, anyone?), I am loving that those who want to challenge this weather as well as give Mother Nature the finger for our harsh winter can still stand at the plate in defiance for the debut of a new sport ...

What's not to love about a winter beer festival? A lot, if you were one of the hundreds of folks who attempted to purchase tickets for the upcoming annual Winter Beer Festival, as the beer faithful faced not only an event presale that crashed its servers yet again, then sold out within an hour once it started functioning. But have no fear because, for the 6th year in a row, the Great Brew Ha Ha is back -- and this time with a few really fun facts you need to know before you buy your advanced ticket at a greatly reduced price. First, this beer festival offers more than 100 craft beers from ...

When sharing our story, many tend to focus squarely on a handful of big events happening within the city of Grand Rapids but miss one series of events that is harder to verbalize. This miss is excusable when you consider that this opportunity to experience it unspools in darkened rooms all over our city in places like Wealthy Theatre and the UICA but also in non-traditional venues like Downtown Grand Rapids Inc's and Creston's Riverside Park pop-up cinema programs as well as bars and basement clubs. Through the years, from film festivals to feature debuts made here, Grand Rapids has ...

We are so used to the chef's choice in a restaurant, but we rarely consider other professions where a leader in their field has a recommendation for your consumption. In the area of art, tours are commonly offered around a particular exhibition via a docent or arts educator. On a rare occasion we get lucky and the curator of the collection will walk us through the gallery, showcasing a lifetime of study, thus bringing a deeper appreciation for the art. At the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Chief Curator Joseph Becherer will offer a personal and insightful educational tour of ...

Over the past few years the rate of development in the city has accelerated at such a rapid rate that often, before a community member has an opportunity to even lend a voice, the moment where critical dialogue could have occurred will have passed, leaving in its wake a trail of missed opportunities. But there are those, from the business community to artists to our educational institutions, who have people beginning to understand that a city is more than the development of a space. A city, to these folks, is more than brick and mortar. One group is hosting a new series of workshops on the ...

I probably could make a case for why one should book a hotel in downtown Grand Rapids starting Thursday – Sunday based solely on the impressive run of shows at The Pyramid Scheme this weekend. It starts with The Coup, Bangups, and A.B.! on Thursday, followed by Friday's debut of the Super Happy Funtime Burlesque's newest production Winter Sucks. On Saturda, it's Leslie and the Ly’s stop in GR followed by The Scheme's monthly Sunday Pinball Tournament. It is possible but space will not allow. – I don't understand this sentence. But if you have to pick just ...

Imagine if you will a story line where the main character wants to rid the nation of its non-native and its native members, too, except for non-natives like himself: a man with a strong desire for strong drink consumed in the company of others in pubs; a man who falls in love with a married woman; and a future leader that not only will argue for a return of government to the people from the grip of the elites but also was a founding member of the Democratic Party. Now if you thought this was some strange narrative from an alternative universe of a modern man, think again. This is the ...

In December of 2013, a new dining group, The Vegan Kitchen Takeover (TVKT), held their first event based on the rather simple concept that the expansion of vegan options within Grand Rapids' eateries can actually happen easily, as they demonstrate in these takeover events, and do so without compromising flavor or the thoughtful sourcing of ingredients. The first event, held in December at the 28th Street restaurant Chicago 7's, provided a taste of the chef's creations, from pretzel beet burgers to chili cheese fries to root beer floats. But after a slight scheduling bump with its ...

Two unique community-focused events are about to return to the city and you better get ready for the fun challenges and changes they bring with them. A few weeks ago a temporary ice rink was installed by volunteers from Vector Distribution and, after a few arctic cold days, the ice skating returned to Richmond Park last weekend at the fourth annual WinterWest 2014. While some fans eye the approaching Super Bowl game, there is a dedicated and very excitable community faction nearly drooling to hit the ice for the ultimate sporting event in Grand Rapids: WinterWest's annual 3-on-3 Hockey ...

What's not to love about a band committed to making sure that the party spirit of rock and roll remains alive in all of us? And who better to deliver such a mission through sound and performance than Grand Rapids very own Head. Unlike the last time this act took a hiatus from recording and resulted in a nine-year break between their second Headmusic (2002) and third release Strike the Golden Eagle (2011), Head returns to the stage on January 31 with their fourth album, Three Cheers. Ever true to the roots of their mission, lead singer Ben Hunter promises a night featuring a rowdy ...

Just in time, the second annual Lake Effect Fringe Festival arrives back in town. Despite its chilly name, it is really a hot, exciting, more-than-a-month-long event that is sure to get your blood pumping. Expanded to five weeks after the successful sold-out run last year, this local theatrical festival event is an opportunity to explore the joys of the smallish type productions that are big in subject. No snow job here; this is the event to attend over the next five weeks at Grand Rapids' best-kept (theatrical) secret, the Dog Story Theater. Kicking off the event is TIP$, a brand new ...

The GRAM is trying a lot of new ideas these days from exciting programming to their new approach to big exhibition openings, which they have moved as of late to Sunday instead of the traditional Friday night many galleries still cling to with diminishing numbers. As a result of a city becoming more full with events and finally at a point where dining out is an activity to be enjoyed with the company of others any day of the week, it is generally a good thing. But on Wednesday night, more than 3 days before the Feb. 2 opening of Legacy: The Emily Fisher Landau Collection, the last of the 3 ...

Statistically speaking, within 6 weeks of the New Year a few things begin to happen in our city. Suddenly the gym lines for that elliptical machine are gone, office co-workers' bagged lunches which look like mini gardens for all the green stop appearing in the break room, and a dessert of fresh strawberries, angel food cake and chocolate laced with orange liqueur is how you will end your February 14th (psst… Valentine's Day) dinner out on the town. If you have not guessed it by now, those created-over-champagne New Year's resolutions have completely vaporized into thin air ...

Mixing comedy and music is a feat often not performed on a local level unless you are, of course, like our very own Reverend Charles Preston Smith of the PotatoeBabies. And on occasion Grand Rapids plays host to those who have been given this gift, from Tiny Tim to (more recently) LaughFest's power pop duo Garfunkel and Oates. On Friday and Saturday, Heywood Banks rolls into town and lands in a venue best suited for him given his lyrics and show antics -- but also proximity to the expressway in case he needs a speedy getaway. Best described as a poet, musician, singer, comedian, ...

A stunning retrospective exhibition of artwork by Mary Ann Aitken was so large in Detroit that it took two galleries to house it. As a child of Detroit but also a graduate of Wayne State University with advanced degrees including a Bachelors of Fine Arts and a Masters in Art Therapy, she always considered the D her home even after relocating to Brooklyn, NY. Sadly, in 2012, the artist who had captured the imaginations of so many was gone, having battled breast cancer during many of her last years of life. Her paintings bring a real clarity to the capturing of our time -- not in a Monet, ...

A few years ago, the West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC) began a new film series and one of its earliest offerings was the 2010 Academy Award-nominated documentary Gasland by filmmaker Josh Fox, whose unconventional style of filmmaking made him one of the most talked about filmmakers that year and whose footage of people lighting their tap water ignited the imagination and horror of those who caught this film. Fox's journey actually began in May 2008 when he received a letter from a natural gas company offering $100,000 to his family in Milanville, Pennsylvania if they would ...

If you are following the headlines in places like New York, San Francisco and even Austin, then you know a serious movement is afoot in our cities and is playing out in a variety of ways. And while this movement, most often referred to as gentrification, usually arrives on the back of a host of "other" issues that are regularly and heatedly discussed in the public square, it is rare that communities create the space to engage in thoughtful dialogue to begin to better understand all sides of this complex matter. In a notable exception, the downtown main branch of the Grand Rapids ...

The concept of a response video is something our generation is well versed in understanding and engaging. But the concept of a play being created in response to a well-known American play is a rare feat.   And in the case of Grand Rapids Civic Theatre's debut of Clybourne Park, the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2012 Tony Award for Best Play by Bruce Norris, the timing of its arrival, considering the timing of the play's setting, is, well, right on time. Clybourne Park, originating from Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company, responds to Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin ...