“Like it or not, this is art. Projects like this one sit at an intersection between public art and the museum. It is at this intersection that we find a fertile space for examining the city through the eyes of artists and see the value in doing so.” —Rebecca Carbin, Independent Curator, Founder of ART + PUBLIC UnLtd
This project was realized in partnership with Madison Church and ICCF, and supported in part by an award from Herman Miller Cares, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs, Experience Grand Rapids, and Reagan Marketing.
Heidelbergology 2+2=8
Tyree Guyton
“‘Heidelbergology; 2 + 2 = 8’ consisted of a series of individually-grouped collections of elements from the canvas of the internationally acclaimed Heidelberg Project in Detroit, creatively reassembled. These spirited installations composed of salvaged items acted as poignant examples of the resilient tenacity that inspired us to reclaim our Detroit neighborhood over thirty years ago. This collaboration with SiTE:LAB for ArtPrize 2018 was the first time that original elements of this scale from the Heidelberg Project were able to be seen outside of Detroit, marking an historical moment for the city Grand Rapids.”
This project was made possible thanks to the support of sponsors Experience Grand Rapids and Reagan Marketing + Design, and the help of Tamara Fox and Daniel Lancaster.
Selected by Installation category juror Carmen Hermo as her category winner.
An American Dream
Augustine Boyce Cummings
“With the addition of locally sourced objects, most of the materials utilized in this installation came from the former high school site itself. The installation of drawing, found and repurposed items, and sculpture utilized familiar school supplies such as #2 pencils, ballpoint pens, sharpie markers, chalk, and gold star stickers to create a large wall drawing. Several vertical red lines interrupted horizontal blue lines, making the installation appear as a notebook filled with stream of consciousness drawing and doodling. We all share the common experience of daydreaming in class and doodling in our notebooks; this piece expanded on this simple practice to discuss bigger narratives that we face not only within our schools but also as a society at large.”
S.U.N.D.A.E.
Monroe O’Bryant
“‘S.U.N.D.A.E. (Study Underlying Narratives & Dimensional Allegories & Energies) was my first inter-dimensional piece involving interracial relationship. The work focused on the many facets of an interracial relationship. I covered topics of love, loyalty, racial uncomfortably, and cultural appropriation. The dynamics of historical comparative racism and acceptance were intertwined into one piece. The piece was shot in my traditional live still style, with characters placed in compromising positions. The piece also intertwined stories of my beginnings as an artist. Set at large scale and displayed by projectors, my goal was to create an open dialog between cultures, hoping to find solutions collectively between humans and to leave all with a better knowledge of self, cultural duties, and true understanding of what love is.”
brown, carmine, and blue
Le’Andra LeSeur
“‘brown, carmine, and blue.’ was a reflection of my undying quest to break down power constructs that have continuously ostracized the very things that I identify with: blackness, queerness, and femininity. I am concerned with the effects of trauma and how that lends to how one’s identity is shaped. Through visual media, installation, and durational performance, I used physical and digital articles to make sense of current ideologies and the ways in which these ideologies frame marginalized identities. With the re-imagining of conventional art forms and mundane objects, I reclaimed and dismantled stereotypes surrounding black identity, ultimately reshaping the context of spaces where the lives of the oppressed are silenced and celebrated in the same breath.”
Durational performances included actions such as kneeling in front of a flag structure for eight hours; carrying cinder blocks through the building to the space barefoot, painting them black, and building a structural installation; turning on a light every half hour to expose her as she spoke of microaggressions she has had to endure; covering her body in black paint; dancing under a disco ball for eight hours to a playlist created by her mother; sitting on the floor in the middle of the projection room and screaming for three hours; and on the final day, sitting on a wicker “throne” chair ensconced in flowers.
Grand Prize Juried winner selected by Brooke Davis Anderson, Lauren Haynes, Crystal Bridges, and Ran Ortner; Time-based category winner selected by Alex Greenberger.
Project Story
Project Story Collective
“As the Project Story Collective, we set out to listen to stories. Why? Because storytelling is an important tool to connect with people, understand needs, develop a common language, and create a dialogue. The building at 415 Franklin has a rich history, from its roots as the Grand Rapids Christian High School to the Department of Social Services to its future evolution into a church. ‘Project Story 415’ (PS415) invited viewers to share and listen to the stories inspired by the building. We sought stories from alums of the school, former recipients of social services, and citizens with ideas for the future. Together, our stories can build and strengthen community connections. Together, we can create a world that listens to one another.”
This work was supported with an ArtPrize Artist Seed Grant presented by the Frey Foundation.
CROSSROAD
Crossroad Collective
“Through performance and installation, we presented a sanctuary in the tradition of beach gatherings of enslaved ancestors, the Southern Freedom Schools that emerged in the 1960’s, and current Freedom Educators responding to inadequate public school systems. By creating a safe space to to imagine alternative solutions, to heal & reckon, to access new powers both as individuals & as constellations of community, we believe we can conjure a world that questions inadequate “answers” in society, preparing us for a life that demands imagination in the face of hardship, & action in the face of injustice. This “Freedom School” reclaimed education by celebrating spiritual literacy and creativity, providing an experience for viewers to love themselves so deeply that they can transform the toxicity surrounding.”
This work was made possible thanks to grants from The Frey Foundation, MAP Fund, The Detroit Institute of Arts, The Knight Foundation, Knight Arts Challenge, and MGM Grand Detroit.
Selected by Time-Based category juror Alex Greenberger for his top five Shortlist.
Madison at Franklin
Mandy Cano Villalobos
“Madison at Franklin was a site-specific installation that sifted Grand Rapids’ history through the individual accounts of local residents. Informed by city archives and interviews with residents, the work investigated a multi-dimensional understanding of history that encompassed individual and collective memory, location, race, and gender. The final installation was designed to visually interweave personal possessions and family photographs with reproductions of archival objects from historical organizations. In juxtaposing artifacts of public and private memory, Madison at Franklin highlighted the discrepancies of how we document history, whose histories are deemed more valuable, and how viewers read themselves into the histories they see.”
Special thanks to / Gracias a:
Ora L. Ruffin
Renita Ruffin
Eddie May Childrey
Nathaniel Sadiki Childrey
Joanie Rosema
Karl and Liz Westerhof
Ruth Lumpkins
Victoria Gibbs
Madison at the Ford
Marcia Van Poolen
Trudi Ippel
Aarie Wade
Debra Welch-Wade
Anita Welch-Christopher
Ruth Ann Welch-Hairston
Doris Welch-Ward
Chana Edmond Verley
Mary Edmond
Pat Nederveld
Laura Pritchard
Barbara Haviland
Reyna Garcia
Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives
This work was supported with an ArtPrize Artist Seed Grant presented by the Frey Foundation.
Belt
David + Mann + Tagliati
“This work responded to the large and institutional scale of the 2018 SiTE:LAB venue at 415 Franklin SE, Grand Rapids, MI. We combined our interests in representation and perception on our experience of place to create an architectural intervention in dialog with the physicality of the space, the visual texture, and layering of time and history. This site specific installation consisted of wall sized photographs, creating an immersive experience that called attention to the current state of the space after years of sitting unused, serving as a metaphoric link to the building’s future use as housing.”
Dark Trees
Amenta + SideCar Studios + Anderson
“Doom! Doom! Doom! Something seems to whisper it in the very dark trees of America. Doom! Doom of what? Doom of our white day.” -D.H. Lawrence
“This project was filmed on location of the former Grand Rapids Christian High School (1931-1972) and Kent County Social Services Department (1973-2009), and explores the complex and charged history of the site. The project was a collaboration between artist Paul Amenta, SideCar Studios’ Josh Tyron and Raleigh Chadderdon, and actor Joe Anderson.”
Special thanks to KBO group (Tech), Tom Duimstra (Music), and Sarah Wierd (Editing).
Echo & Narcissus
Satellite Collective
“Whether it’s a politician’s self-aggrandizement or social media users in echo chambers, it’s a potent time to face the myth of Narcissus and what it means to look in a mirror. ‘Satellite Collective’s Echo & Narcissus’ was a vocal and hand projected performance, an aria to illuminate the unrest and discord of our moment. Original music, live performance by vocalists, and hand projected imagery moved through the halls of this historic space of the city, intended to be followed by the audience. The performers moved from space to space as their story unfolded, illuminating themselves and the art near and around them with images of their own fears and inner lives. ‘Echo & Narcissus’ was the 17th interdisciplinary performance work by Satellite Collective, a New York based incubator for artists and diversity that we founding eight years ago.”
LEMONaid
Kyd Kane
“‘LEMON•aid’ combined spoken word poetry with visual imagery to depict the bittersweet relationship between struggle and triumph in a strained social economic infrastructure. LEMON•aid spoke to the strength, tenacity, and resilience it takes to overcome the odds of those whose lives are riddled with lemons from institutional racism and segregation practices, including redlining, housing discrimination, inadequate education and employment, blockbusting, white flight, urban renewal, and gentrification. This poetic work drew on my own experiences growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a place that has been referred to as the second-worst city for African Ameri- cans by Forbes Magazine. I took a crucial look at the age old adage ‘when life hands you lemons, make lemonade’ and asked ‘what if you can’t because the water is poisoned?’”
This work was supported with an ArtPrize Artist Seed Grants presented by the Frey Foundation.
Immigration Stories
West Michigan Center for Arts & Technology (WMCAT)
“Issues related to immigration in the United States have made many national headlines in the past year. Inspired by the local impact of detainment and deportation in the Grand Rapids immigrant community, teen artists from our Advanced Photography Studio at West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology (WMCAT) sought out stories from their own social networks, describing experiences related to being an immigrant in this country. For some, the challenge was to photograph subjects without revealing their identities and immigration status. This project was deeply personal for some of our teens, as several have endured the pain, uncertainty, and loss that accompanies the deportation of a close family member. The photographs and words in this installation capture those feelings but also depict hope and resilience.”
A Language
Not Design
“An ongoing performance-based project, ‘A Language’ was an experiment in how language facilitates exchange among a community. Using primarily letterpress printing as a medium, we invited visitors to contribute to our dialog through the work of the Grand Rapids Fine Art Delivery Company (GRFADC). The GRFADC workshop was open for business during posted operating hours, facilitating live printing on-site and exchanges by both bike and mail delivery. This collaborative narrative allowed for a conversation that challenged both language and community as it’s been previously defined.”
Stories on Site
Creative Youth Center (CYC)
“As the Grand Rapids Creative Youth Center, we used SiTE:LAB space as a hub for creative storytelling, using personal narratives rooted in place as its inspiration. The time-based piece changed throughout the course of the exhibition as community members and visitors interacted with the space and left behind stories of their own. Projected narrative and a storytelling event added layers to the experience of stories being born out of a particular place.”
A Family Affair
Heartside Ministry Artist Collective
“The Heartside Ministry Artist Collective is a collection of intuitive Black folk art made by Heartside artists, coming from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. Some have experienced the disadvantages and hardships of homelessness. Others suffer from various emotional, physical, or mental disabilities. We started the Heartside Art Gallery and Studio in 1993 as a program of Heartside Ministry on South Division. Most Heartside artists have never received formal training, yet the artwork in our studio shows the talent which comes naturally and intuitively. The exhibit was a showcase of twelve of these artists’ work, from oil paintings to woodworking to quilts and much more. Heartside Art Gallery and Studio has supported the neighbors of the Heartside neighborhood for over 20 years, dedicated to providing a space for showing artist’s unique responses to the experiences of their lives.”
Artists
1. Scott Robinson – Orange, Lime Green, Yellow Abstract
2. Tommie Wallace – The Descendants
3. Robin Streeter – Moving Mountains Series
7. Cathie Hines – Acrylic Abstracts
8. Mike Tate – Many faces watercolor and sketches
9. Fuzzy Jane – Cat Family
4. Tom Salazar – Black History Icons
5. Cindy Lopez – Caribbean Landscape Series
6. William JJ – The Museum of Everything (Deceased)
10. Unknown Heartside Artist – African King
11. Anthony Harrell – Pastel Series, Memorial paintings (Deceased)
12. Cory Ruiz – Tribal Art
On and Off
337 Project Space
“As artists, sometimes we are on, sometimes we are off. It’s the nature of creating art, and life. My goal was to create an interesting and visually appealing cohesive show. With work by Robert Burnier, Mandy Cano Villalobos, Jovanni Luna, Carlos Aceves, and myself, Tom Duimstra, I experimented with how the work interacted with those around it as well as the space itself, which became an important element of the work. I left duct tubing and exposed cement and metal rods at the ceiling, and brought in artists with strong work that could work together, with each other and with the space. The final exhibition showcases a group of artists working cohesively together, more on than off.”
The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington
Ebony Road Players
Christmas Eve. 1800. Martha Washington, the "Mother of America,” is on her deathbed surrounded by slaves waiting to be freed the moment she dies. As “Miz Martha” slips into a series of fever dreams, she is confronted by the unspoken horrors of slavery she and her young country have been complacent to. Filled with sharp satire, clever humor, and a powerfully theatrical story, this acclaimed play from James Ijames holds a startling contemporary mirror up to the inaugural First Lady’s legacy and dares you to look away.
Cast:
Ann Dandridge: Lisa Knight
Sucky Boy: Julian Newman
Davey: Eddie Stephens
William: Gabryel Shepard
Doll: Nadia Groce
Priscilla: Quianna Babb
Martha: Kitty Carrico Carpenter
Director: Randy Wyatt
Assistant Director: Amisha Groce
Stage Manager: Danell Kendrick