GR|MAG’s Top Weekend Picks

ArtPrize enters its second weekend and promises plenty of activities to keep you busy. Make sure to visit your favorite venues and vote for the pieces you’d like to see take home that $200,000 grand prize. The Grand Rapids Children’s Museum and Grand Rapids Symphony are just two of the area’s arts & culture organizations getting in on the ArtPrize action this weekend. Check out all the fun things going on!

Block Party & Artfest @ Grand Rapids Children’s Museum
(Saturday & Sunday)

The Grand Rapids Children’s Museum (GRCM) will be putting on two events for ArtPrize—one for the grown-ups and one for the kiddos.

Join GRCM on Saturday evening for an adults-only block party to celebrate the museum turning 21 and being “all grown up.” The event includes an outdoor strolling dinner party at 11 Sheldon Ave. NE. Activities include live music by Mid-Life Crisis and yard games including a bean bag toss, giant Jenga and more.

The block party takes place on Saturday, Sept. 29 from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. Must be 21+. Tickets are $75 and include dinner, dessert, one drink ticket and the promise of a good time.

Follow up your adult night with a day focused on the kids. Spend Sunday, Sept. 30 enjoying Kids’ ArtFest, taking place along Sheldon Avenue and Library Street.

Children of all ages (and their parents, too) are invited to paint, sculpt, draw, design jewelry, enjoy live performances, meet ArtPrize artists and much more. There will be a total of 13 hands-on art stations at Kids’ ArtFest to enjoy. There will also be a variety of performances on the entertainment stage including magicians, musicians, Tae Kwon Do, Irish dance and more.

The event is free and takes place from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information on either event or to purchase tickets for the block party, visit the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum website.

Mexico in Transit @ DeVos Performance Hall
(Thursday)

See part two of the Latin Entertainment Series, “Sean Blackman presents Mexico in Transit,” on Thursday, Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at DeVos Performance Hall.

“Mexico in Transit” is a journey of sounds from Mexico featuring Banda, Cumbia and Mariachi with a fusion of Detroit Soul, and led by Blackman. Blackman has been honored with many Detroit Music Awards and has launched and directed multiple world music festivals.

Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster. For more information visit the DeVos Performance Hall website or Facebook page.

Grand Rapids Symphony’s ArtPrize Concerts
(Friday & Saturday)

The Grand Rapids Symphony returns to ArtPrize 2018 with four musical entries and a series of nine free public concerts taking place this weekend.

In collaboration with EarShot, the National Orchestral Composition Discovery Network, Grand Rapids Symphony has selected music by four young composers to present in nine free concerts Sept. 28-29 at The Morton, at 55 Ionia Ave. NW, during ArtPrize 10. All four composers are entered as time-based entries in ArtPrize.

Guest conductor Jacomo Bairos leads the Grand Rapids Symphony in eight concerts, two devoted to the music of each composer, plus a ninth with highlights of all four.

The four composers include Tyler Eschendal, a composer and percussionist originally from the suburbs of Detroit, now in residence in Los Angeles; and Jiyoung Ko, a Michigan based composer. The other two are Daniel Leo and Emmanuel Berrido.

The performances are free and open to the public. The concerts take place on Friday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and 9 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 29 at 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and 9 p.m.

ArtPrize Blue Bridge Music Festival
(Friday & Saturday)

Visit the Blue Bridge in downtown Grand Rapids on Friday and Saturday night for the WYCE HopCat Blue Bridge Music Festival. On Friday, enjoy music by Lazy Genius, Lindsay Lou and Pink Sky. On Saturday, enjoy performances by Molly, The SEVENth, Jake Kershaw, Cameron Blake and Lipstick Jodi.

All participating musicians at the two-day festival are eligible for the ArtPrize 10 public vote competition in the time-based category.

SiTE:LAB Second Friday
(Friday)

Stop by SiTE: LAB’s space at 415 Franklin St. SE on Friday night and check out the 14 ArtPrize works housed there while also enjoying performances and music at the venue. There will be drinks available including PS-415, SiTE: LAB and Brewery Vivant’s collaborative brew. This event takes place from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

*Main photo courtesy of Brewery Vivant. All other photos courtesy of individual establishments.