Festival of the Arts is now 44 years old. You would be right to ask what is new under the big Calder sun at Festival, but you would be so wrong if you thought this festival was taking the easy way into middle age. Festival 2013 kicks off on Friday at 11:45 a.m. on the stage that begin it all in front La Grande Vitesse. The popular drumming group WaZoBia and special guests Knotty Bits will launch the event with a writhing, energetic bang that forces the rest of the weekend to keep time just to keep pace. Festival 2013 co-chairs Lori Harrison Smith and Carlos Aguilar will welcome the audience ...

Summer was made for enjoying jazz outside. Lucky for you, when the 13th annual Jazz at the Zoo opens their season at the John Ball Zoo Bandshell, you will have 11 chances to enjoy one of the best kept secrets in our city's entertainment scene. Part of the charm is not its off the beaten path location next to the zoo in John Ball Park, but the thoroughly decadent day of the week on which it occurs: Monday. And it's not a sparsely attended event. "Oh, I would say that on a light night you can expect just over 1000 people," says John Miller of the West Michigan Jazz Society. ...

It is hard to imagine that it has been 10 years since about 200 people showed up to listen to live music and drink local beer as they celebrated the very first Local First Street Party. Oh, how far we have come. Now this one-day event is celebrating their tenth anniversary and is expecting to attract more than 12,000 to downtown Grand Rapids. While this event will have plenty of food vendors (all local, no chains) and great spirits, the real plus of any street party is always the chance to listen to some great music. This year they do not disappoint as folk duo Seth Bernard and May Erlewine ...

While the news headlines have been filled with stories of potential scandal as talk show hosts debate back and forth (a by-product of our need to fill a 24/7 program slot), another group, the Supreme Court of the United States, is privately debating two legal cases: the future of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California's Proposition 8. The result is sure to spur many more conversations once their decision is made known later in June. Locally, another conversation I think will be of interest to members of our region, given our strong religious roots, will take place at Wealthy ...

There has been no shortage of interesting and thought-provoking theatre in West Michigan over the last year. In fact, as pointed out a few months ago in an G-Sync editorial, Grand Rapids is in the middle of a not so quiet theatrical revolution as area stages are packed with contemporary dance performances, intimate and punk-inspired musicals, and even the big  Broadway version of Legally Blonde at Civic Theatre. But for the programming committee at Actors' Theatre of Grand Rapids, they chose Jane Anderson's Looking for Normal, a play written 11 years ago surrounding a topic that makes ...

Often when people want to know who they are as a region, they run to the local paper to peruse the headlines for clues. But when I travel or seek deeper understanding of the urban culture, the 'zine is often the best source for this information. Locally, there is no shortage of options of where to secure ‘zines, except that soon, we will be down one venue when Division Avenue's Miscellany closes at the end of this month with an exhibition by visiting contemporary artist Katie Bell. Locally, Bandit Zine has been leaping ahead with options for those looking to grab their 'zine ...

The last time A.B. took the stage in a show of this scale, it was on the occasion of the fall election. He invited event partners Bottom 40 and Generation X & Y for MI to pull together a Presidential-sized cabinet of hip hop for "A.B. for President." Now six months later, A.B. hits the Pyramid Scheme stage again. But this time, the occasion is his new EP, AB, the many faces of... This new EP is really a celebration of our region, according to A.B. "I'm learning about myself and about others around me through these new songs -- the interconnectivity of the ...

Last week, it was brought to our attention that community-focused musicians Bruce and Becca Ling of Hawks and Owls were severely impacted by the recent flooding after a neighbor literally went psycho on their home, destroying many things they cherished shortly after they were forced to evacuate due to the rising waters. This week, I discovered another group that does a lot for our region was impacted by the recent flood. The Grand Raggidy Roller Girls lost $6,000 worth of their gear their home court of Rivertown in Grandville was flooded. Traditionally, when a double header happens, as it does ...

While Grand Rapids is the subject of a growing number of lists that will either be celebrated or cynically discarded depending on the topic (and list for that matter), one area that is truly worth celebrating with each passing year is the growing culture of folks exploring alternative ways to navigate the city. Sure, not all of us will take to the long boards seen zipping from Eastown to downtown, but there are others who are getting just as creative and vocal about parking the car in favor of alternative transit -- from bikes, to inline skates, to even our very own The Rapid, which is under ...

There appears to be no shortage of love for the '80s, from throwback pop music to asymmetrical haircuts. Circle Theatre joins the trend that never ends with an opener to their summer season that is sure to have you moonwalking all the way to the theatre. The Wedding Singer, a Broadway musical adaptation of the wildly popular romcom of the same name, will transport the audience back to 1985, a time when big and colorful hair was tubular, Wall Street greed was good, Polo collars were up, and the local wedding singer might just be the coolest man in your universe. The Circle Theatre's ...

When the rivers rise, flooding will occur. For those that live in the low-lying areas of our city, it is a given. Bruce and Becca Ling of the wildly popular American folk roots act Hawks & Owls have fled their riverfront Comstock Park home before to avoid the rising waters. However, when they evacuated during the recent flood, they never expected someone would take advantage of their abandoned home . Now facing a vandalized home where cherished heirlooms as well as fixtures and glass windows have been smashed out, this West Michigan couple, known for performing at so many causes and ...

Spring is here, meaning that fans of contemporary dance and local bands will have a chance to attend the latest installment of Trip The Light, appearing once again on Wealthy Theatre's stage. This energetic 120-minute program tests the limits of a performer's body while the local musicians test the limits of the speakers. It is a loud and proud moment in an annual arts tradition rich in creativity. What is really different this year is the event's focus, one that hit the ground running from the very first days of planning, according to Dance in the Annex's (DITA) Amy Wilson. ...

It is hard to believe that we are here already, but this weekend, the West Michigan Gay Men's Chorus will present "Celebrate!," an evening of music from Beethoven, reggae, Broadway, and spirituals, on the occasion of their fifth anniversary.   In addition to a chorus of favorites, recreated in song and with a dramatic flair, will be the world premiere of "Vida Sin Miedo (Live without Fear)," written by Grand Rapids composer Lori Jacobs.    "I am thrilled and honored that they have selected 'Vida Sin Miedo,' because it was written for a dear friend and ...

Writers can often be mistaken for visual artists until we open our Moleskin books and the truth of the content sorts it all out. And when artist and illustrator Anthony Carpenter opens his always-in-hand booklet, you can be sure the man who is always drawing our culture has probably tapped a vein others would never consider. Finally, after a year of discussions, Carpenter has found a perfect setting for Featured Creatures, a themed show of local artists' takes on popular creatures from horror films. The diverse array of monsters reflects the delicious and perverse tastes of the area's ...

Quilting takes on different meanings for everyone because of its built-in Americana pattern construction. But when the GRAM's The Improvisational Quilts of Susana Allen Hunter opens up this Thursday to members (and then Friday to the public), patrons will see this African American artist's uncanny knack for creating the equivalent of jazz music with a style all her own. This new fiber arts exhibition builds off the impressive historical and biographical show, Quilting Genius II: The Improvisational Quilts of Susana Allen Hunter, presented in 2008 at Detroit's Henry Ford Museum. ...

It is not every day that a musical group espousing the virtues of a community taking care of its members comes to town, so we wanted to create a bit of extra space this week to highlight this act. Emma's Revolution, the award-winning music duo of Pat Humphries and Sandy O, will be in Grand Rapids to support Family Promise, a network of faith-based organizations that has been providing temporary shelter for the homeless of our region since 1997. This is the first time that Family Promise has hosted a fundraiser of this size and they hope to pack the church with community members who are ...

"Assembling often, spontaneously, and where you least expect it" is the tagline on the Detroit Party Marching Band's website. It is also the best way to describe this cultural phenomena happening in Detroit on a regular basis, but always at an unpredictable location. This spontaneity is what's elevated this group to cult proportions in Detroit as friends in the D share urban stories of the time this act marched into a bar and instantly created a real-time transformative performance for the ages. It might seem like a tall tale, but the hype is true. There are rare occasions in ...

There are two people in this world: Those whose blood goes cold when someone says "redrum," and those who just look at you like you are nuts or possibly sharing the name of the latest shot served at Mulligan's. (I won't be a spoiler, so see the movie, please.) When Stanley Kubrick's film version of Steven King's The Shining opened in 1980, this family-gone-wild film set in the isolated winter crypt of a popular summer resort hotel (abandoned during off-season) became the subject of many nightmares. Over the course of the movie, Kubrick unspools his cinematic vision ...

When one reads the lyrics to the song "Libiamo ne' lieti calici" while following the plot line of La Traviata, an opera by Giuseppe Verdi, it is hard not to think of your favorite moments spent in the company of friends at a neighborhood place like The Meanwhile. Lead character Violetta (performed by Leah Partridge) joins with others in the drinking song singing, "With you all, I can share my happiest times. Everything in life which is not pleasure is foolish. Let's enjoy ourselves for the delight of love is fleeting and quick." When reading these subtitles, it is ...

The list of events happening in town is endless these days, but one thing is pretty much certain: very few of these events ever present via their press materials a path tied to public transportation. Breaking from the pack this weekend is a neighborhood bar hop from Generation X & Y for Michigan, a group that has been turning heads for their community-organizing events around connecting neighbors, and their dedication to talent retention. "We were trying to figure out how to host a multi-neighborhood event, but as we started talks, we realized that (we could) approach this topic by ...

Everyone, in one way or another, is a tour guide for the city. When we entertain or make room guests, we not only build up our reputation as an open and welcoming community, but also create ambassadors of our "cool" when these guests departs. One person who has been tearing it up as she blazes a trail of beats is Super Dre, who hosts BassBin, a weekly guest DJ night at Billy's Lounge in Eastown. Not only has 'Dre offered this platform to showcase the diverse music of our local DJs each Monday night, but often, DJs passing through make a point to stop and drop some beats to a ...

At press time, all eyes are still on the Grand River…and this includes the Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, the 2013 Arbor Day Award recipient of the Excellence in Urban Forest Leadership Award for their outstanding work in tree planting, conservation, and stewardship. On the day that they are to receive this award at the Arbor Day Foundation's Lied Lodge & Conference Center, located at Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, our small organization, along with a team of local businesses and citizen volunteers, will descend upon Riverside Park to begin their second day of planting new ...

One thing I have learned about people in West Michigan is that they love a great bargain. So get your calendar out because on Friday night, you will not only have a chance to sample some of the best beers from this region and around the world, but also some amazing wine at the annual St. Cecilia's Music Center's Eat, Drink, and Be Merry fundraising event. And unlike other events where tokens are handed out to limit one's choices, this event is truly about letting your creative bliss run free for one wild night. Your palette will be devoted to pure pleasure at one low price of $35 ...

Every day, people gather in restaurants to eat a meal and we think very little of the act unless you are a loud and proud farm-to-table evangelist. But once a year, an international organization focused on a global problem opens space for something remarkable. When you partake in Dining Out for Life, you open your heart, and a city's at risk population gets a bit stronger. DOLF is an annual event that raises funds for HIV/AIDS service organizations. Locally, the event supports Grand Rapids' Red Project. DOFL is bigger than ever this year with 20 area restaurants participating, ...

It is hard to imagine the road we have traveled since 2008 when our region's design talent gathered at the Grand Rapids JW Marriott to launch our own AIGA chapter after years of sharing our audience with Detroit, formerly the only professional level chapter in the state (colleges and university chapters existed here and there). What a journey it has been. Part of the mission of our West Michigan chapter of the AIGA has been to package and present our designers on a world stage, but to also invite talent to visit our city. The names have been stellar, including inspiring workshops and ...

Most "Shop Local" events in this town focus on food or beer, but once in a while, an event comes along that won't mean ingesting a week's worth of calories in one sitting. Been there, done that, got fat. So, you ask, what's left? Plenty. But this weekend, one of the very best shop local events returns. Record Store Day (RSD) is an internationally organized event, but locally focused in that it has been created to celebrate the power your local record store has to create a community. Some cities no longer have a local record store (often the victim of changing tastes in a ...

To the blues faithful, it is hard to imagine life before the annual Local Blues Matter (LBM) fundraiser. But now that it's a fixture on the scene, you can bet the third installment of this event at Billy's Lounge in Eastown will be a night to remember. And since the stars have aligned to make this the first Blues Matter on a Friday night, this is one not to be missed. Every movement in an art scene has a leader who helps set the pace of excellence in the region. In West Michigan, that leader is Greg Blueben, host of "Friday Night Blues" on WGVU-FM, 88.5 Grand Rapids and 95.3 ...

When the Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company returns to the tiny Dog Story Theater for their latest production, Macbeth, first-time attendees will be shocked when they realize the 30 roles in the play have been assigned to PCSC's small, 11-member cast. Another big surprise is the absence of a director in the playbill. This isn't your parents' Macbeth. Heck, it's not even your great-great-great grandparents' Macbeth. Pigeon Creek of Grand Haven has enjoyed a long-standing credibility for their freeing interpretations of these often stiff productions, and their ability breathe ...

Do you remember when MTV wanted to shake things up so they made musicians hold the electricity? The result was the Unplugged music series. Grand Rapids Brewing Company -- Michigan's only organic brewery -- wants to recapture that magic with a new music series, GRBC Unplugged, every Sunday night over the next four weeks (or until MTV gets the wiser and demands a name change to something innocuous like GRBC Naked). Unhinged by the temptation to amplify their sound through the aid of electricity, the first act in the series, Paucity, is not an act you would think of when you say the word ...

There is no shortage of programs available in Grand Rapids these days acknowledging or supporting the wide range of diverse faces found in our region. On Friday and Saturday night, DeVos Performance Hall will once again put out the la bienvenida sign with a night of Latin-inspired classical works in an event simply titled Bolero. Bolero will be performed by our Grand Rapids Symphony under the baton of Carlos Miguel Prieto. In 2012, the GRS presented their first Hispanic-focused event, Latin Fire, with great success. You could almost call Bolero, with its sweeping and slow-burning, but ...

Situated almost perfectly at the halfway point to ArtPrize is the smaller but no less important arts event, Art.Downtown. And while the city may not look as festive without banners and flyers on every corner, this free, one-night event is all about our local artists, organized by artists and art-lovers alike. With more than 40 exhibitions taking place in galleries, live-work spaces, and even restaurants, this night on the town is truly an overnight explosion of art that is not to be missed. When I spoke with organizer Jenn Schaub of Dwelling Place about the biggest changes, she was quick to ...

Sometimes the best way to find out if you are a welcoming community is to ask your newest guests. And in some cases, the best way to present this data is to invite a group of  artists to illustrate your complex and diverse research for mass consumption. Stephanie Sandberg does just that with her latest ethnographic play, Grains of Hope, opening at the Lab Theatre at Calvin College. Sandburg, director and communications professor at Calvin College, conducted more than 100 interviews with area refugees who have relocated to Grand Rapids, now the fifth largest U.S. city to be the recipient of the ...

A lot of changes have been happening since Long Beach's Kristopher Larson arrived in Grand Rapids to become the new Executive Director at the Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority (DDA), and it's been more than just talk. His team has already assembled some pretty stellar first-year advances, like the recent visioning process for the Arena South district. The next chapter in the evolution of the DDA is a new speaker series launching at Kendall College. For their inaugural event, they shot for the stars and scored a major voice as their first speaker. Jeffrey Tumlin, principal ...

Grand Rapids has always had a core group of artists who have shown a willingness to embrace current world trends at just the right time. This can be witnessed in their embrace of the New York club trend of the '80s where a local theatre would become the nightclub Shout, featuring a nod to the distinctly Michigan sound of Motown. This music is still alive today thanks to the local DJs who make up our Grand Rapids Soul Club. In just over a year, they have created a scene that syncs up nicely with a worldwide soul movement. Another aspect of this soul resurgence is the growth of new acts that ...

About a year ago, Rapid Growth devoted an editorial to the challenges of one gallery's decision as to whether or not they could stay in the building they had inhabited for years as the property changed owners. (They didn’t.) It would go on to provide much insight for those of us in the arts, but it would not be the only downtown space to experience a bit of an upheaval to their business model. This is not just a Grand Rapids issue. Artists will often be the first booted from an area once property values reach a certain level. See New York's SoHo-to-Chelsea migration for how it ...

Raise your hand if you can recall the tiny performance space that Community Circle Theatre used to inhabit in John Ball Park. Keep them raised if you recall when they did not have air conditioning. Yes, it has been a long time since they were in that intimate space. When Circle moved 10 years ago, many feared that closeness would be lost. But as we look back over the last decade in their home at the Aquinas College Performing Arts Center -- a thoroughly modern theatrical venue perfect in every way for staged musicals and plays – we see that is far from the truth. This Friday and ...

Over the last decade, many universities and colleges have begun focusing on expanding the culture capital of our region by looking at new ways to make the diverse population of West Michigan feel at home when it comes to entertainment programming. (A lesson Dave Agema could learn.) A fine example of such collaboration is the return of the Grand Rapids Latin American Film Festival brought to the screen by Aquinas College, Calvin College, Ferris State University, Davenport University, and Grand Valley State University. This fourth installment of the festival will kick off on Thursday, April 4 at ...

Before the crowds descend for return of Art. Downtown in a just over a week, you really should venture down to check out one of newest galleries popping up in Heartside's Avenue for the Arts. A new wave of energy is beginning to unfold on this street, with a new focus on the type of shows being presented -- and presentation is key. One gallery, Gaspard, is moving above and beyond the salon style of slapping a lot of art on the wall that used to be the norm. What they have replaced this salon style with is something on par with New York’s Elizabeth neighborhood, where small is merged ...

While some families will escape the cold of winter over Spring Break, others escape from their social migrations with other adults in the search of something to do with their kids. And while our region is offering more and more options for families, I really think the Grand Rapids Ballet (GRB) is offering something truly remarkable at the equally remarkably price of $5. Building off a long history of engaging children's minds and bodies through dance, the GRB is bringing back their wildly popular Spring Break program with a spirited performance to the Saint-Saens' "Carnival of the ...

One of the benefits of being of living in Beer City USA, a title shared for the moment with Asheville, NC, is that you can care about the local beer scene or not -- and often without any judgment. It is what it is, at this point. But it also opens space within our community for people to become converts over time. In the interest of full disclosure, I tend to fall somewhere between a full-blown , beer-drenched cheerleader to "just give me a Miller Lite with a lime." (This no-nonsense summer drink suggestion comes via K Studio's Shelly Klein.) So it should not be a surprise to ...

It might seem a bit early to be celebrating the warm weather activity of picnicking. But if the Grand Rapids Art Museum has its way, a unique set of posters on display come Friday night will have you jonesing to pack up that picnic basket. Stephen Frykholm, creative director and VP at Herman Miller, designed the 20 Herman Miller Picnic posters for the company's annual picnic between 1970 and 1989. Now, for the first time ever, this historic collection of prints has come home to the GRAM's permanent collection -- an honor no other museums can boast. Unlike other art exhibitions, this ...

There is a new musical opening in Grand Rapids that has such a huge cult following within a certain demographic that it might be difficult to gain access if you wait too long for the buzz to reach your ear. And while you might think the obvious answer is Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the NYC cult favorite also debuting this week at Dog Story Theater, the demographic creating local buzz is the twenty-something fan base of [title of show]. This much anticipated musical finally lands at Actors' Theatre of Grand Rapids at Grand Rapids Community College's Spectrum Theater this Thursday. TOS is ...

The Apartment Lounge, one of the oldest pubs in the city, recently changed hands. This popular watering hole has long served the gay community, but also the theatre wing of our city. I know, I know -- even I have trouble telling them apart these days. The biggest change since Bob Johnson took possession of this iconic establishment in the heart of downtown was not the freshly remodeled interior or even the fact that they now take credit cards. No, the biggest leap is that on Sunday, while you enjoy the Apartment Lounge's new Bloody Mary and mimosa bar, you will be able to hear live music ...

Lately, I have been having fantasies of what it must be like for those who love a roller girl. Oh, not those kind of fantasies. I mean the kind where one of our local girls rolls in late at night from any one of the many evenings of practice that our team engages in each and every week. I imagine the tube of Biofreeze waiting next to a bag of ice, ready to apply to the muscles that a beating from this anything-goes sport. What I am trying to paint here is a picture that many do not see -- the reality that is hidden away between the bouts, when our Grand Raggidy Roller Girls are not in the ...

Artists often gather in public to banter around a limitless range of topics. Sometimes, the result of this intimate communion is that we find there is real power waiting to be explored. Often, art is the proper channel through which to filter such abstract ideas. This is pretty much how the Women's Show began. Artists and organizers Jodi Schmalz and Chloe Viening-Butler began dialogue around the topic of post-childbirth, something both women share in common. Building around this theme, the women began to curate from the local pool of artists. Schmalz also wanted to make sure they included ...

This week, I am attempting something very deliberate in G-Sync Events. I am pinning my focus exclusively on four events being hosted by women for women (and men who love them). After the gripping headlines from the Steubenville case that began our week, we need more dialogue between the sexes. I invite everyone to consider one of these fine events sure to expand our understanding of one another. Starting off this week's lineup is the return of LadyFest, a global movement of women encouraging local communities to not only present an arts-filled festival event , but also an opportunity to ...

The Matrix is a film that needs almost no introduction. It is still one of the biggest movies to close out the last century, combining ground-breaking effects with a moving spiritual story line as old as time. We all seek some form of redemption. What makes watching The Matrix really special at DeVos Performance Hall is the opportunity to hear the score live with the Grand Rapid Symphony under the direction of a new composer, Don Davis. And while some may say that it might be a form of sacrilege to divert from the giants of classical music, you would be missing the real power of this score, ...

In 2011 at the Grand Rapids Art Museum, artist Rino Pizzi's ArtPrize entry, The Mona Lisa Project, inspired the masses who visited this dazzling, daring, and personally rich display reimaging one of Leonardo da Vinci's most famous artworks as retold through other women. The memory of this project also haunted local artist Christine Olson, who decided to do something about it. The result of her reaching out to Pizzi is that she gained his permission to stage a special presentation of 20 local women artists, who, after sitting for photographer Dianne Carroll Burdick, would then set out ...

You never forget your first time. For me it was this October, it was in an art studio with a cheap beer amid a crowd of insiders who hopped off the "everything downtown" train and ventured to the Con Artist Crew Gallery in the Godfrey industrial district. Amid the pulsating beats shot colorful beams of light, crafted with materials easily discovered at your local hardware store. The warehouse venue was transformed into something magical, via a cosmic light show courtesy of the recently formed LazerBoyz. I loved it, and fell under their spell. LazerBoyz is a group of visual artists ...

For decades, New Year's Eve reigned supreme as the ultimate party night of the year. Downtowns all over the country beefed up their entertainment options, from elaborate dinners to festive outdoor ball drops, often in frigid temps. But in Grand Rapids, even as the "Wednesday Night Before Thanksgiving" began to take a bite out of New Year's hide, it was the Irish who staged the ultimate coup for the biggest holiday event of the year. Part of this success is due to Irish on Ionia, now in its third year. This street party is huge, and organizers are hoping to triple their ...