The Grand Art Show

General

Turquoise Sea paintingThe Grand Art Show
Featuring five West Michigan artists
When: April 13 to 16, 2016
Where: Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Time: 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Image: Turquoise Sea, Pamela Alderman, Oil on canvas, 12 x 16 inches, 2016

Bring a friend and enjoy some great art and fellowship with five talented artists. The show will be located on the main floor at the northwest corner of the Amway hotel overlooking the river. All paintings will be for sale, and the artists are also open to custom commissioned paintings.

If you have questions or if you would prefer to come at a time outside of the scheduled show hours, call Marve Veltkamp at 616-299-4537.

The Artists

Frits Hoendervanger will have about a dozen paintings on display including his large 2014 Art Prize landscape painting, a couple of awesome portraits, a 4 ft. x 6 ft acheter synthroid. landscape that he has been spending many hours completing, and several recent paintings, including some small ones that have not been on display before and a few other works from his inventory. Frits is also planning to attend the show.

Jeanne Rockett has been a favorite West Michigan artist for decades. Jeanne is especially known for her Lake Michigan seascapes and other Michigan landscapes. She has received several national awards for her paintings and a series of her paintings adorn many homes and businesses in the great lakes area. We will have approximately a dozen paintings of various sizes on display.

Pamela Alderman is probably best known for her participation in ArtPrize for the past several years where the attendance for her display was phenomenal. She is a very talented watercolor artist and has the unique ability to create awe-inspiring meaning to each of her paintings. Her collection features flowers, birds, children, portraits, memories, and only she knows what else. I can assure you that you will be so pleased to not only admire her work but also to meet her personally.

Kathleen Kalinowski is one of the most talented landscape artists I have ever had the privilege of supporting. She has been working with pastels for decades and her paintings certainly reflect that experience. Her oil paintings are very realistic and colorful. She has the ability to feature elements in a landscape that would likely not even be noticed with the naked eye. Her works have been displayed in exhibits throughout the United States. We are planning to exhibit many of her paintings of various sizes.

Marella Poortenga Morris is a talented young woman and as the former president of the Grand Gallery(s) is very knowledgeable in the art work world. Her passion for animals drove her into her present career working as a Licensed Veterinary Technician in the Grand Rapids area. She recently returned to painting so we anticipate a few smaller paintings to be on display. She would love to meet or reconnect with many of you.

Written by Marve Veltkamp

The Scarlet Cord at Manasseh Project

From the Heart

Scene from The Scarlet Cord video

That night I couldn’t sleep. Images of humans displayed like animals in a pet store window haunted me.

When I was nineteen, while traveling through Europe, our tour bus stopped at the Red Light Windows of Amsterdam. As I stood in the middle of the district, window after window displayed women perched on chairs—selling their bodies. Next to each window was a door; a steady stream of men flowed in and out of each door.

The IMPACT

I didn’t know that during my trip—the enormous abuse and degradation of women I had witnessed would grow into an ArtPrize art installation one day to help raise awareness for the children who are sex trafficked in Amsterdam or Thailand or even Grand Rapids.

Healing in Arts Presentation

Behind the Artwork

Art is to console those who are broken by life. Van Gogh

Healing in Arts is about caring for people. Brokenness is universal, part of our human condition. Whether individuals are experiencing distress from physical, mental, or emotional issues, art touches deep places within the human spirit.

James' card on Healing TreeIn 2011, during the Braving the Wind installation, one young woman waited at the Healing Tree with her phone while her friend spent the last minutes with their dying friend, James. The minute James died, the phone call came and the young woman hung a card on the tree—a sacred moment for the two survivors.

Healing tears often flow as the art unlocks the soul. The art serves as a catalyst when individuals find their own pathway towards healing. Healing in Arts helps people process their pain, deepen relationships, and experience hope and healing.

Healing in Arts by Pamela Alderman

When and Where:

International Culture Care: Music, Beauty, and Creativity
Fuller Theological Seminary • Pasadena, California
March 3 through 4, 2016

Celebrating Healing in Arts – 2015!

Behind the Artwork

The Scarlet Cord ribbon cutting ceremony in Phoenix, February 2015It has been an exciting year—kicking off with an exhibition of The Scarlet Cord during the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl in Phoenix Arizona. Film makers from Colorado Springs flew into Phoenix to capture The Scarlet Cord exhibit and the responses of survivors and visitors.

For ArtPrize Seven, my work called Hometown Hero invited viewers into the artistic process by writing the name of their personal heroes on the 24 x 6-foot canvas; thousands of visitors responded. One New York critic described her ArtPrize experience as having to fight “past the thicket surrounding Hometown Hero” before she could continue to explore other works.

Then the year finished strong with a Courage Ablaze exhibition—which highlights the remarkable courage of the Congolese women and children—at Michigan State University.

Photo: Grand Rapids artist Pamela Alderman (at left) watches as Jim Waring, vice mayor of Phoenix (left) and Mark Brnovich, attorney general of Arizona, cut the ribbon to open The Scarlet Cord. At rear are Miss Arizona 2011, Brittney Brannon Kennan (left), and survivor advocate Rozlind Saumalu (Photo courtesy of Doug Hartzler).

Children writing hero messages on Hometown Hero at ArtPrize SevenHometown Hero

ArtPrize Seven at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
Voted Top 20 and 3rd Place in the Time-Based category

The Scarlet Cord

Phoenix, Arizona during the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl sponsored by StreetLightUSA
Women’s Expo at DeVos Place
Acton Institute and Prince Broekhuizen Gallery
The Scarlet Cord Film Premiere at the Grand Rapids Public Museum in partnership with Women At Risk International

Courage Ablaze at Michigan State UniversityCourage Ablaze

Van Singel Fine Arts Center
Catholic Information Center at Cathedral Square
Residential College of Arts and Humanities at Michigan State University

Enjoy your family and friends for the holidays.

Curious for what’s ahead in 2016? Stay tuned, I’ll be back in 2016.