People + Places

We all know Michigan has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, but USA Today wants to know which Michigan beach is the best of the best.

The Urban Institute for Contemporary Art (UICA) is switching things up this year with the first annual Off the Wall fundraiser. For 20 years, the UICA hosted Live Coverage—an event that invited artists to create in a live setting while spectators mused, hoping to win auctioned art.

While you are out and about this summer in Michigan, keep your eyes peeled for Michigan’s largest trees.

Nicole Aunapu Mann, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, was one of eight candidates selected for future space missions in 2013. She completed the training in 2015 and is now qualified for assignment.

Likely having heard about the great food on the West Side a black bear decided to check out that corner of the city this morning.

Spring has finally arrived! To commemorate the start of the season, turn off your electronics and head outside to the great outdoors. Parks are a free and fun option for anyone wanting to take advantage of the beautiful, warm weather.

The owner of Grand Rapids retail store The Paper Studio is embarking on a second endeavor. Abby Fowler, Paper Studio owner, opens Pulp & Stem on Tuesday, May 1 in the Downtown Market.

Anne Marie Carson has an obvious soft spot in her heart for animals in need. “I’m kind of drawn to the pathetic creatures,” she said.

Award-winning illustrator and local design student Alana Fletcher is taking her artistic talents to new heights.

Earth Day is Sunday, so GR|MAG talked with West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC) Executive Director Bill Wood about how his organization is making positive changes in West Michigan. He also had some suggestions for how everyone can pitch in through taking small actions.

We all know that Grand Rapids is a midwest hipster haven, but now the world knows, too. According to MoveHub's annual International Hipster Index, Grand Rapids rings in at No. 28 (out of 446 cities).

Write 616, formerly Great Lakes Commonwealth of Letters (GLCL), aims to be a helping hand to all writers in the Grand Rapids area. While its name has recently changed, its initial mission of providing resources, building skills, and creating connected, professional platforms for writers, has not shifted since its inception in 2013.

Sometime back in the mid-1990s, Dr. Luis Tomatis initiated a daily ritual of hosting tea at 4 p.m. in his downtown office. For the 20 years since then, Tomatis has welcomed colleagues, friends, college and hospital presidents, and students, many of them medical students, for conversation, tea and cookies.

Ornithologist, conservationist and distinguished professor at Clemson University, Dr. J. Drew Lanham’s passion for the natural world began as a boy growing up in Edgefield County, South Carolina.

Before 2000, Lisa Cockrel had never heard of the Festival of Faith & Writing – a biennial celebration of literature and belief at Calvin College. Living in Chicago and attending college at the time, she was given the opportunity to travel to Grand Rapids and attend the festival. After an unforgettable weekend, she came away with an encouraging thought: “I found my people.”

Orchids. Those delicate, multibloomed delicacies of the botanical world. So desirable, orchids are smuggled globally as devotees seek out incredibly rare varieties.

A unique way to spend your vacation (or a weekend) is as a tourist in your own town. Treat it like a real vacation: unplug from email and try visiting places you’ve never been. And, for the ultimate vacation, check-in to a hotel in town. Plus, you’ll be able to try out a cozy spot to put up the in-laws when they come to town.

As a full-time student and athlete at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) and the founder of her own company, Locker Lifestyle, Katarina Samardzija is living her dream of becoming a successful entrepreneur.

The Roosevelt Park Neighborhood Association is looking for a local artist to create a piece of public art near the neighborhood’s northern border.

Gather your friends for an evening of painting to help support Girls on the Run.