ON THE TOWN

The Arts and Entertainment Magazine of West Michigan

Gallery Guide

by Melissa Black

Thursday July 31, 2008, 8:48 AM

GRAND RAPIDS AREA

ACCENTS GALLERY & SUPPLIES Art/Supplies. Eclectic art and fine crafts from local artists. 1054 W. Fulton 233-8320
thru Aug. 1: Patti Wisniewski, the artist displays the many uses of tissue art.
Aug. 8--22: Kathy Kwiatowski, the artist shows a wide array of acrylic paintings--wildlife and abstracts. A reception is held August 8, 6--8 pm.
Aug. 15: Kids & Art Day, this event is held in conjunction with The West Fulton Business Association Sidewalk Sale. Children can have a fun day with sidewalk chalk, face painting, drawing, and more.

ADA GALLERY Prints & Framing. Original works, limited-edition prints, and home accessories. 408 Ada Dr., Ada 676-1075

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Rothbury Through an Artist's Eye

by Joanne Bailey

Sunday July 27, 2008, 5:26 PM

Of the 45,000 people who attended Rothbury last month, only artist Cynthia Hagedorn journalled the experience through paint. "I can feel the great energy in the air with the audience, and it inspires me to paint, throwing caution to the wind," said Hagedorn, who added her "favorite thing in the world to do is paint to live music." She created pieces while listening to Wide Spread Panic, Primus, 311, Modest Mouse, Jakob Dylan, Snoop Dog, and Gomez. "So many times at Rothbury people would stop and then say, 'I can't wait to see what it looks like when you finish,'" Hagedorn said. "My response was always the same, 'Neither can I.'" You can check out the results this month as Hagedorn's Rothbury experience is on display at Holland's Lemonjello's, 61 E. 9th St., or watch Hagedorn in action from 5 to 8 p.m. every Thursday in August at Globe Design & Vision, 49 E. 8th St., Holland. For more about the artist, visit www.cynthiahagedorn.com

The Good Time Gang

by Bianca Billingsworth

Sunday July 27, 2008, 4:53 PM

I feel like I've just walked into a beer commercial. Everyone is smiling and gesturing my way for a good time. It's like they've been waiting this whole time for me to arrive because I'm the party.

It's true! At Rockwell's Kitchen & Tap, everyone was smiling as we passed through to our table: the girl at the bar, waitstaff with other customers, someone in the kitchen, everywhere cheerful faces.

Clearly someone has picked up a copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People as the new restaurant to strengthen South Division is well-stocked with a workforce of winning personalities, tidy and pleasant surroundings, and what seems to be a well-thought out menu.

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You Go Dog!

by Nicole Corley

Sunday July 27, 2008, 4:48 PM

With a come-as-you-are attitude and reasonable prices, Dog Story Theater hopes Grand Rapidians make a regular date with the theater.

"Theatre" is to champagne as "theater" is to Pabst Blue Ribbon. And Jay Harnish, managing director of the newest theater in Grand Rapids, seems to think Grand Rapids needs a little more of the latter. Theater, that is. Thus enters Dog Story Theater, a nonprofit black-box theater company created to bring opportunity for artists and theater to the people through professional, live performances.

Dog Story Theater is filling a niche while offering a variety of work. From drama to stand-up comedy to Shakespeare, it's all about performing and enjoying. "We wanted to provide an affordable place for young professional companies and entertainers to perform. Grand Rapids has a great fine arts scene," Grand Rapids-native Harnish said. "We've got the art walk downtown, the only professional ballet in Michigan, a Grammy-nominated symphony, a professional opera that pulls world class stars, but there is no professional theater here except what we bring in from New York."

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Stage Dives

by Mark Hensch

Sunday July 27, 2008, 4:43 PM

Honoring a person's work is a difficult task. Nestled in a converted dairy farm near Augusta, the Barn Theater now faces such a challenge. Few lives, after all, contain the scope of musical composer Jonathan Larson.

Now, twelve years later, Larson's most popular work returns to a company where he started out as a humble pianist. Running August 19 through 31, the Barn Theatre's production of Rent will be largely cast from regulars and will give yet another generation a taste of musical magic.

"It is a shame John passed away, but to his credit, he created one of the most successful Broadway plays in history," said producer and director Brendan Ragotzy. "John brought in a whole new generation of theatergoers with Rent."

Rent, for those unfamiliar, is the hit 1996 rock musical that serves as Larson's swansong. Inspired by the opera La Boheme, Rent chronicles the successes and failures of an impoverished arts community in New York City. Taking place at the apex of the AIDS scare amidst growing social acceptance of sexual orientations, the musical's edgy subject matter quickly turned heads.

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Making a Good Impression

by Katerie Prior

Sunday July 27, 2008, 4:41 PM

Of all of the major movements in art history, Impressionism is perhaps the most well-known. Even if you can't identify a painting by artist or name, Impressionist works like Van Gogh's self-portraits, Monet's gardens, and Degas' dancers are bound to be familiar on sight because they are so popular.

While these artists and their works largely represent what we know of the movement, there is a wide variety of other Impressionist artists. After the works of Monet and Degas became celebrated in Europe, American artists took up the Impressionist style while bringing their own influences to the movement. Their works are simply stunning, as you can see at the Muskegon Museum of Art (MMA) exhibit, "Sunlight in a Paintbrush: American Impressionism from Regional Collections."

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Public Figure

by Mark Hensch

Sunday July 27, 2008, 4:36 PM

Local artist Cameron Van Dyke talks art and about his most recent creations.

Grand Rapids sculptor Cameron Van Dyke has made his name redefining art's functionalism. His work smoothly melts trivial dimensions like volume, depth, and height into abstract constructs as austere as they are beautiful. I sat down with the innovative artist and learned just what inspires the geometric beauty at work.

OTT: How would you describe your artistic style to someone unfamiliar with it?

Van Dyke: My work has been an exploration of planes and volumes. That is the thread that runs through everything.

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