Annual Report Fiscal Year 21–22

GRAM Language Artists 67

Dear friends,

The past year was a time of change and transition for the Museum, as we prepared for the departure of our esteemed Director and CEO, Dana Friis-Hansen, and embarked on the search for a dynamic new leader to usher GRAM into its exciting next chapter. It was also a particularly inspiring and noteworthy season, focused on connecting the West Michigan community through a rich variety of vibrant platforms for creativity, dialogue, discovery, and engagement with art. We are pleased to share with you highlights from our 2021 – 2022 Annual Report, which spotlights the work of our team to present exceptional art experiences for and with the people and organizations of our community.

Over the course of the season, we organized some of the most extraordinary exhibitions in GRAM’s history, including a major traveling exhibition that paired together two of today’s most influential photo-based artists, Dawoud Bey and Carrie Mae Weems, and a Michigan Artist Series presentation featuring the work of Detroit-based textile artist Carole Harris. Successful traveling exhibitions included a survey of six decades of Jasper Johns’ printmaking practice, and the first major American Impressionism exhibition at GRAM in over a decade. We continued to strengthen and diversify our growing permanent collection of over 6,500 objects through important artwork acquisitions by Mequitta Ahuja, Pablo Picasso, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and Enrique Chagoya.

Through new and longstanding partnerships with area early learning centers and schools, GRAM created accessible and enriching learning experiences for predominantly underserved children and young adults. A rich variety of inclusive, interactive programming — such as studio workshops, Family Days, guided tours, community conversations, and gallery chats — served families and guests of all ages.

Thank you for being a part of the GRAM family — we could not do it without you and your amazing support! As we reflect on the 2021 – 22 season, we couldn’t be more energized and optimistic for the year ahead.

I look forward to seeing you at the Museum soon!

Warm Regards,

Erin Gravelyn
President, GRAM Board of Trustees

By the Numbers

GRAM Spring exterior edit

By the Numbers

33,622

People engaged in on-site experiences and visits at GRAM

54%

of guests were first-time visitors to the Museum

3,776

People took part in guided tours or Gallery Chats

2,209

K‑12 and college students participated in guided tours; 637 students also engaged in artmaking workshops

83

Teachers participated in GRAM’s Professional Development for Educators program

384

Children reached through our art-based kindergarten readiness program, GRAM Early Learners

985

People participated in hands-on artmaking through the weekly Drop-in Studio program

128

Adults participated in Gazing at GRAM, our therapeutic arts program for individuals with memory loss

87

Children participated in Summer Art Camps, of whom 27% received need-based camp scholarships

1,898

GRAM Member households

4,958

Hours of service from 109 volunteers

36.7%

of Museum guests received free admission as part of Meijer Free Tuesdays and Thursday Nights

Operating Financial Summary 2022

$10,169,402

Revenue

($7,804,607)

Expense

$2,364,795

Surplus

+$2,130,294

Non-Operational Depreciation

+$1,803,588

Revenue Released from Prior Years

($5,726,192)

Revenue Restricted for Future Years

$572,485

Surplus

GRAM is committed to financial transparency and encourages you to view our audited financials, IRS 990 tax form, and other institutional documents here.

Exhibitions

Explore 2021-2022 Exhibitions
Jasper Johns Install25
Bey Weems Install 29
Bey Weems Install 29
Bey Weems Install 63
Bey Weems Install 56
Bey Weems Walkthrough 40
BW Donor Dinner 67
BW Donor Dinner 70
BW Donor Dinner 90
Family Day2022 11

Dawoud Bey & Carrie Mae Weems: In Dialogue | Jan 29 – April 30, 2022

Dawoud Bey & Carrie Mae Weems: In Dialogue brought together a focused selection of work from a period of over forty years by two of today’s most important and influential photo-based artists.

    Years of planning at the Grand Rapids Art Museum culminated in the January 2022 debut of Dawoud Bey & Carrie Mae Weems: In Dialogue, an exhibition of two of today’s most important and influential photographers. The two met in a photography class taught by Bey in 1976 and have since been artistic colleagues and close friends, each exploring similar themes of race, class, representation, and systems of power throughout their careers. In Dialogue was the first exhibition explore the profound impact Bey and Weems have had on each other and bring our community into their decades-long artistic conversation. 

    The GRAM-organized exhibition featured 140 works, spanning over forty years, and included the artists’ early work in portraiture and street photography, images created to honor sites of Black history, and their acclaimed bodies of work  Night Coming Tenderly, Black (Bey) and The Kitchen Table Series (Weems).

    Through the generous presenting support of MillerKnoll, GRAM developed community programming inspired by Bey and Weems’ shared focus on celebrating Black communities and experiences 

    The exhibition included hands-on and virtual art experiences for elementary to high school students, an artist talk with Bey and Weems, and the Kitchen Table Series conversations, a three-part series of community-led round table discussions exploring diversity in design, rewriting history, and art as activism. 

    Dawoud Bey & Carrie Mae Weems: In Dialogue is organized by the Grand Rapids Art Museum, with presenting support generously provided by MillerKnoll. Additional support is provided by Wege Foundation, Agnes Gund, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Eenhoorn, LLC.

    “We were very early on deeply interested in the field of photography, with a sense of not only what we wanted to do in it, but a sense of what was happening in it.” – Carrie Mae Weems

    View the exhibition page

    View the exhibition page

    In Dialogue traveled to several venues across the country, including:

    • Tampa Museum of Art: July 21 – October 23, 2022
    • Seattle Art Museum: November 15, 2022 – January 22, 2023
    • The Getty Center, Los Angeles: April 4 – July 9, 2023
    • 93% of visitors reported that the exhibition increased their awareness about themes the artists addressed, including class, race, representation, and systems of power.
    • 40% of visitors participated in an interactive community timeline within the galleries, in which people integrated significant personal events within the timeline of pivotal social and historical events from the 1950’s to the present.
    • 1,705 students took part in guided tours during the run of the exhibition.
    Book Discussion: Their Eyes Were Watching God

    Thursday, March 3, 2022 | 7 – 8 pm

    Julie Walser, Registrar at GRAM, and Jessica Bratt, Assistant Director at Grand Rapids Public Library led a discussion of the 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. The book, cited by artist Carrie Mae Weems as one of her top ten favorites, is a classic of the Harlem Renaissance and one of the most important works of twentieth-century American literature. 

    Book Discussion: The Underground Railroad

    Thursday, April 7 | 5 – 8 pm

    GRAM organized a book club discussion exploring The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead in response to Bey’s Night Coming Tenderly series featured in the exhibition, which captures sites along the final stages of the eponymous trail. The novel follows Cora, an enslaved person living on a cotton plantation in Georgia, on her journey to escape. In this world, Whitehead reimagines the Underground Railroad to be a literal system of tunnels, trains, and conductors below the earth. 

    Artist Talk with Dawoud Bey and Carrie Mae Weems
    Thursday, March 24 | 6 – 7:30 pm

    GRAM hosted a conversation between Dawoud Bey and Carrie Mae Weems, moderated by the curator of In Dialogue, Ron Platt. Bey and Weems met in 1976 – they clicked immediately and, over time, developed a deep affection for one another. Both knew their lived experience as Black Americans was vastly different from the narrow and prescriptive representations in mainstream American culture. Both saw how they could use the medium of photography to visually record their own presence in the world, and to create authentic images of Black Americans. In their conversation, Bey and Weems discussed their years as young photographers in New York, their ongoing friendship, and the influence and impact they have had on one another over the past forty-five years.

    Adult Workshop: Exploring Photographic Manipulation
    Thursday, April 28, 2022 | 6 – 9 pm

    During the workshop, participants created a series of photos using an instax camera, then further explored the creative possibilities of instant film by learning how to adjust the opacity and color.

    Kitchen Table Conversations
    Inspired by Carrie Mae Weems’ photo narrative series of the same name, The Kitchen Table Conversations were a three-part series of community programs intended to spark conversations surrounding identity, culture, and experience. For each event, GRAM has paired with a socially-focused local organization to feature presentations and facilitate discussions based on themes explored in Weems’ work.

    Diversity in Design with MillerKnoll     | March 23, 2022 | 12 – 1 pm
    Speakers: President of Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design, Dr. D’Wayne Edwards and Diversity in Design Collaborative’s Senior Manager, Alexis Brunkow

    Rewriting History     | April 21, 2022 | 7 – 9 pm
    Speakers: Founder and Executive Director of GRAAMA George A. Bayard III and Kent County Social Services Advisory Council Board Member Huemartin Robinson II

    Art as Activism     | May 19, 2022 | 7 – 9 pm
    Speakers: Zahabia Ahmed-Usmani, Kaufman Interfaith Institute; Hannah Berry, Lions and Rabbits, and Ebony Davis, The Diatribe

C Harris Install 30 2

Carole Harris: Bright Moments March 17 – June 18, 2022

Carole Harris: Bright Moments | March 17, 2022 – June 18, 2022

Artist Carole Harris builds upon traditional quilt making techniques to create innovative, freeform works of textile art. Her Michigan Artist Series exhibition presented works spanning the artist’s prolific career, beginning with her first quilt created in 1969, and continuing with works that illustrate her endless experimentation with fabric, paper, and other materials. Visitors were introduced to the inspirations and themes that have driven Harris’ work, including architecture, music, color, and the urban environment. 

“Three layers, that’s what makes a quilt – a bottom, a middle batting, and a top. You stitch those three together and you’ve got a quilt,” says Detroit textile artist, Carole Harris. ​“Now what you do with it after, that is where the real creativity comes in.
View the exhibition page

An Extraordinary Legacy: The Miner S. and Mary Ann Keeler Collection | May 17 – Oct 8, 2022

An Extraordinary Legacy celebrated the transformative gift of art given to GRAM by Miner S. and Mary Ann Keeler between 1976 and 2021. Sixty-five works filled three galleries, including paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints. The exhibition focused on artists who emerged as artistic leaders between 1940 and 1990, an extraordinarily dynamic period in American and European art. The exhibition featured monumental contributors to contemporary art, including Pablo Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, Louise Nevelson, Alexander Calder, Mark di Suvero, Janet Fish, Andy Warhol, and Alexis Smith.

In a New Light: American Impressionism 1870 – 1940 | Works from the Bank of America Collection | June 11 – Aug 27, 2022

A sweeping survey of American Impressionism, this summer exhibition presented groundbreaking paintings, prints, and drawings from acclaimed artists such as George Inness, Lilla Cabot Perry, Childe Hassam, and Guy Carleton Wiggins, among others. The 130 works included in the exhibition traced the emergence and evolution of the style, reflecting the changing mindset of America from the mid-19th to early 20th century. The exhibition concentrated on regional artists’ colonies that were crucial to the American Impressionism movement and explored the ways in which local artists interpreted America’s rural, maritime, and urban spaces using the Impressionist devices including brisk brushstrokes, a vibrant palette, and atmospheric effects.

Impressionism, Expressionism, In Between and Beyond | July 1 – Dec 17, 2022

Impressionism and Expressionism each originated in Europe as modernist art movements in the late 19th and early 20th century. As stylistically distinct as they are culturally formative, these movements have continued to play a pivotal role in art made since that time. This exhibition, drawn primarily from GRAM’s Permanent Collection, saluted the vast aesthetic impact of these art periods, not only in painting, but also in prints, drawings, photographs, and video. This eclectic selection contained 45 works, ranging from early 19th-century Japanese woodblock prints to digital art created in 2012. With Impressionism and Expressionism as its central focus, this exhibition celebrated how artists have interpreted and expanded these movements’ trademark styles to create new paths forward.
Living Artfully 7

Living Artfully: Gifts from Dana Friis-Hansen and Mark Holzbach Sept 10, 2022 – Dec 3, 2022 

Living Artfully: Gifts from Dana Friis-Hansen and Mark Holzbach | Sept 10 – Dec 3, 2022

Throughout its history, the Grand Rapids Art Museum’s collection has grown primarily through the generous gifts of donors from our community. As part of the 10th annual Live Artfully event, GRAM celebrated the artful and civic contributions of Dana Friis-Hansen and Mark Holzbach, accompanied by an exhibition of their gifts of art to the Museum’s permanent collection. This exhibition brought together a majority of the gifts donated by Dana and Mark over their 11-year history with the Museum, as well as the promised gifts they plan to donate in the future. Featured artists included Yayoi Kusama, Cindy Sherman, Takashi Murakami, Anila Quayyum Agha, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Christian Marclay, Enrique Chagoya, Louise Bourgeois, John Baldessari, and Olafur Eliasson.

View the exhibition page

Companion/​Collection Exhibitions

    Oct 2, 2021 – Jan 8, 2022

    From the 1960s onward, printmaking transformed American art. Artists embraced the myriad of printmaking techniques, from traditional forms like woodcut and engraving to commercial processes like screenprinting. Printmaking is one method Jasper Johns and many other modern and contemporary artists have used to make extraordinary pictures. Drawn from GRAM’s extensive collection of prints, A Way to Make Pictures showcased artists who, like Johns, have pushed the boundaries of traditional printmaking in both technique and subject matter. Many of the prints in this exhibition combined time-tested printmaking techniques with innovative ideas, like printing on non-traditional surfaces, mixing prints with other media, and employing unconventional tools.

    View the exhibition page
    Jan 29 – April 30, 2022

    By nature, every photograph is a lie of omission. One moment is chosen and suspended, preserving it over the infinite span of other moments that are left unseen. Omissions are also made using the frame of the camera — a vast span of life and activity exist beyond the crop of the image that are left to the viewer’s imagination. Shown concurrently with Dawoud Bey & Carrie Mae Weems: In Dialogue, Seen and Not Seen was an exhibition of photographs by three Grand Rapids-based artists, whose styles greatly differ but who share a common ground in their motivation to create meaning through contemporary photography. All three artists use photography as a language through which private experiences and intimate memories are conveyed to the viewer. This exhibition hinted at those memories and posed questions about the moments that are not shown.

    View the exhibition page
    Dec 7, 2021 – March 23, 2022 

    Landscapes have always played a significant role in American art. As a young nation, American artists borrowed the styles and conventions of European and British art. Over time however, uniquely American styles developed based in the distinctive and varied environments of the United States. This exhibition of American landscapes from GRAM’s collection illustrated the numerous styles that emerged in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. 

    View the exhibition page
    Aug 1, 2022 – Sept 6, 2022 

    The complete set of Stephen Frykholm’s Picnic Posters were displayed in GRAM’s Level 1 Galleries. Frykholm (American, b. 1942) joined the modern design company Herman Miller in 1970 as its first in-house graphic designer. Frykholm’s first assignment at Herman Miller was to design a poster for the company’s yearly summer picnic, which turned into an annual project for the next two decades. He used screen-printing to create the posters, utilizing a simple process he learned while working for the Peace Corps in Nigeria. The posters’ appeal lies in Frykholm’s rendering of traditional picnic foods in simplified forms and their bright and contrasting colors. The surface of each poster is covered in a glossy varnish, which gives the designs an added pop. 

    View the exhibition page

Annual Fundraising Events

Donate
Gala2022 167

Live Artfully | September 9, 2022

Honoring Dana Friis-Hansen and Mark Holzbach 

The 10th annual Live Artfully dinner paid tribute to Dana Friis-Hansen and Mark Holzbach; a tradition celebrating the individuals whose passion and vision have made a meaningful impact on West Michigan. In addition to celebrating 10 years of Dana’s leadership at the Museum, Live Artfully celebrated Dana and Mark’s artful and civic contributions, accompanied by an exhibition of their gifts of art to the Museum’s permanent collection. 

Gala | May 14, 2022

Co-chairs Pamella Devos and Sam Cummings

The black-tie fundraiser offered a first look at the painting, sculptures, prints, and drawings of contemporary masters in An Extraordinary Legacy: The Miner S. and Mary Ann Keeler Collection, as well as dinner and entertainment. The annual event raised over $140,000 to present accessible arts and educational programming at the Museum. 

Education and Community Programs

Learn
A GRAM volunteer leans over a table to admire a childs artwork

Education Programs

    The Language Artists: Weather Wonders program served 932 third-grade students across 25 schools from two school districts — Grand Rapids Public Schools and The Pathfinder School. The program integrates literacy, science, and the visual arts, through a year-long unit of study for third-grade students. Approximately 77% of participating students are from low-income households. Language Artists centers on artworks from the Museum’s permanent collection that depict the intersection of weather and climate with other subject matter. 

    Near the end of the school year, students and families were invited to a special reception at the Museum. The artwork and short stories of the students were on display in the museum lobby, where families, teachers, administrators, and GRAM staff celebrated the accomplishments of the students.

    “I loved my class’s experience with this program and highly recommend it.” — Grand Rapids Public Schools Teacher

    GRAM’s early childhood education program, Early Learners, served 384 underserved children in collaboration with 40 area educators through continued partnerships with Head Start for Kent County and the David D. Hunting YMCA. For the first time since the onset of the pandemic, we were able to offer these experiences in-person again. Through outreach by GRAM staff to classrooms and field trips to the Museum, the Early Learners program contributed to kindergarten readiness and advanced equal access learning.

    GRAM’s popular Summer Art Camps returned to an in-person format at the Museum. Children ages 4 – 15 participated in hands-on, half-day experiences during weeklong Summer Art Camps. Summer Art Camps served 87 children in total. To promote equitable access to summer learning, 27% of campers received need-based scholarships, allowing them to participate at no cost. 

    The campers learned and practiced new art techniques, engaged with local artists and designers, toured and discussed GRAM’s exhibitions and collection works on view, and explored public artworks downtown. They also developed new friendships, explored their creativity and innovation skills, and enhanced their problem-solving and critical thinking proficiencies.

    “This is the best run camp we’ve ever been a part of. Mia loved it so much! Thank you so much to the wonderful staff for making this a memorable and fun week, and so safe and reassuring for parents!” — Parent of a camper 

    GRAM is home to many remarkable volunteers who help bring creativity and inspiration to the community through the Museum’s tours, programs, and events. Many of these volunteers are also talented artists who create works of art in a wide variety of mediums. Talent Within: GRAM Volunteer Art Show featured artworks created by GRAM’s own volunteers and explored the stories and techniques behind the 2D and 3D works. 

Community Programs

    GRAM collaborated with Artists Creating Together (ACT) on the 13th annual ACTion Art Exhibition, held at the Museum from March 29 — 31, 2022. The ACTion Art Exhibition presented the work of 105 local adult artists from the disability community. The exhibition, free and open to the public, was a valuable opportunity for the artists to display their work in a public setting, and to market and sell their artwork. Over 260 people viewed the three-day-long exhibition. The weekend also included an artist reception, an artist panel discussion, and accessible artmaking in ACT’s Creative Cube — a mobile studio.

    Presented in partnership with WYCE 88.1 FM, GRAM hosted four free outdoor concerts in 2022, featuring soul, motown, electronic jazz, indie folk, western swing, and alternative pop performances. The weekly summer concerts aligned with the Museum’s Thursday Free Nights – offering hundreds of Museum visitors free access to the galleries, hands-on artmaking, food trucks and a cash bar in addition to the evening’s performances. 

    • July 21, 2022 | Molly & After Ours 
    • July 28, 2022 | Andrea von Kampen & Brie Stoner 
    • August 11, 2022 | The Rachel Brooke Band & The Reverend Jesse Ray 
    • August 18, 2022 | The Music That Raised Us, featuring Sarena Rae, Debra Perry, Karisa Wilson, Serita Black Rose and Avalon Cutts-Jones
    GRAM on the Green 2024 with 88.1 FM WYCE

    On view: May 10, 2022 – June 3, 2022

    Working with GRAM’s Learning + Creativity and Curatorial departments, teen artists from WMCAT’s Arts + Tech Intro to Fashion and Advanced Fashion programs created a collection inspired by works from GRAM’s Permanent Collection. The Intro to Fashion collection focuses on high fashion day and evening wear, application, and embroidery. The Advanced Fashion collection focuses on avant-garde outfits, historical silhouettes of the period the artwork was created, use of color, and repurposing materials. The program culminated in a fashion show of the student’s creations in the Auditorium on May 5, followed by an exhibition of the ensembles displayed in the Monroe Creativity Center. 

    WMCAT Teen Fashion Studio: Palettes Past

Membership

Membership
GRAM Presence Member Opening 103

Visionnaires

The Visionnaires are a group of creative young adults, ages 21 – 40, committed to introducing new audiences to the Grand Rapids Art Museum and encouraging lifelong engagement. Over the course of the past fiscal year, the Visionnaire event series was reinvigorated, exploring a diverse range of artistic media and an eclectic lineup of Grand Rapids-based artists in its mission to connect young people to the growing community of local creatives.

Visionnaires Event Highlights 2021 – 2022

Artist Talk: Alfield Reeves

Marking the return of the Visionnaire Artist Talk series, Grand Rapids-based photographer and business owner Alfield Reeves presented on his career as an editorial and portrait photographer, highlighting his creative process and work for Vogue Greece, Grand Rapids Magazine, and The Trace.

KCAD Fashion Studies Student Showcase and Panel: Fashion & Design in Grand Rapids

Kendall College of Art and Design’s Fashion Studies Chair & Associate Professor Lori Faulkner and Fashion Studies students Zoe Roberts, Maria Dawley, Mali Jean Borisch presented their design collections, including Faulkner’s ​“Sustainable Seventies” sabbatical series, a collection of sustainable travel wear, a line of plus-sized garments, and pieces from their collaboration with the Grand Rapids Ballet.

Jewelry Design & Fashion Show with Carolyn Ferrari

Grand Rapids-based artist Carolyn Ferrari shared how her jewelry designs and inspirations have evolved over the course of her 20-year career, and the ways she uses her artwork as a medium to uplift asylum seekers and senior citizens. The event culminated in a fashion show and demonstration of her designs.
Alex and Brittany laugh in the GRAM galleries

Member Feature: Brittany Shelmon and Alex Thibodeau

Brittany Shelmon (now Thibodeau) and Alex Thibodeau are a law professor at GVSU and the Director of Appointments for Governor Whitmer, respectively. Alex joined the Museum’s board of trustees in 2021. 

“Museums are historically places that have been monastic,” Alex said. ​“I think GRAM is very intentional in advocating beyond [that] traditional scope.”

“Grand Rapids has so many local artists, and I see GRAM as a place that’s showcasing people who are getting an opportunity to share their art with their friends and family.”

The duo’s lively conversation sparked in every direction as they strolled through the galleries, discussing the merits of figurative versus abstract work, current events, their upcoming nuptials, and celebrity news. ​“It’s amazing, we agree on so many of the important parts of life, yet we still find those minute things to discuss,” Brittany said. The two often stopped their spirited debate to listen, appreciating their partner’s point — even if their tastes in art remained polarized.

Acquisitions & Property Gifts

Collection Highlights

Acquisitions

2021 — 2022

Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881 – 1973)
Jacqueline’s Profile, 1956
White earthenware clay
7 x 7 inches
Gift of the Estate of Sandra Last, 2021.66

Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait (American, b. England, 1819 – 1905)
Five Ducks on a Bank, 1870
Oil on artist board
8 x 9 7/8 inches; 13 ¼ x 15 5/8 x 2 ¼ inches framed
Gift of David G. Frey, 2021.67

Bruce Crane (American, 1857 – 1937)
The Waning Year, n.d.
Oil on canvas
18 x 24 inches; 27 x 33 x 2 ½ inches framed 

Mequitta Ahuja (American, b. 1976)
Portrait of Her Mother, 2020
Oil on canvas
72 x 84 inches
Museum Purchase, Jim and Mary Nelson, 2021.69

A painting by Mequitta Ahuja showing a portrait of her mother in an art studio.

Mequitta Ahuja (American, b. 1976) Portrait of Her Mother, 2020. Oil on canvas, 72 x 84 inches. Museum Purchase, Jim and Mary Nelson, 2021.69

Mequitta Ahuja, Portrait of Her Mother

Mequitta Ahuja is a figurative artist whose paintings and drawings embody the complexity of contemporary identity as well as historical self-portraiture. In this and other works, Ahuja, who is of South Asian and African American descent, is exploring self, identity, and family, as well as extending a dialogue with painting and its long history. 

Ahuja painted Portrait of Her Mother during a period when her mother was battling cancer. Creating paintings and drawings was Ahuja’s way of grappling with and processing her intense grief. The work also prompts us to think about time, memory, and meaning in our own lives. Reflecting upon the tight and unique bond she held with her mother, she shared, ​“I sought to make a body of paintings out of the love I felt for her. My mother did see a lot of the work and got to see how much she inspires me. In the painting I am holding a drawing I’ve made of my mom, so you get the whole story from this one painting.”

To learn more about this recent acquisition and explore other works in GRAM’s collection, visit artmuseumgr.org/collection.

Acquisitions

Forest Craft Guild (American, active 1906 – 1919)
50 objects
Various metals
Gift of James E. Laramy, 2022.1 – 50 

Enrique Chagoya (American, b. Mexico 1953) and
Alberto Ríos (American, b. 1952)
You Are Here, 2000
Suite of 6 lithographs, edition 11/60
17 x 17 inches each
Gift of Dana Friis-Hansen and Mark Holzbach in memory of Martin Packard, 2022.51a‑f

John Baldessari (American, 1931 – 2020)
Aligned Trumpeting, 1988
2 color lithograph on Somerset paper, edition 41/50
Sheet 24 9/16 x 27 9/16 inches
Gift of Dana Friis-Hansen and Mark Holzbach in memory of Martin Packard, 2022.52

A reflective silver skateboard sits on its wheels against a white background

Olafur Eliasson (Icelandic, b. Denmark 1967) Your Mercury Ocean, 2009. Milled mirrored skateboard, edition of 90. 3 1/2 x 31 3/8 x 7 5/8 inches. Gift of Dana Friis-Hansen and Mark Holzbach in memory of Bill Scarbrough, 2022.53

Acquisitions

Olafur Eliasson (Icelandic, b. Denmark 1967)
Your Mercury Ocean, 2009
Milled mirrored skateboard, edition of 90
3 1/2 x 31 3/8 x 7 5/8 inches
Gift of Dana Friis-Hansen and Mark Holzbach in memory of Bill Scarbrough, 2022.53

Ed Ruscha (American, b. 1937)
Every Building on the Sunset Strip, 1966
Artist book
7 1/8 x 5 5/8 x 7/16 inches closed
Gift of Dana Friis-Hansen and Mark Holzbach in memory of Bill Scarbrough, 2022.54

Sea of Buddha Hiroshi Sugimoto 1

Hiroshi Sugimoto (Japanese, b. 1948) Sea of Buddha, 1997. Artist book, edition 148/1000. Offset lithograph on wove paper, aluminum covers, fabric-covered slipcase. 9 13/16 x 6 7/16 x 1 1/8 inches closed. Gift of Dana Friis-Hansen and Mark Holzbach in memory of Bill Scarbrough, 2022.55

Acquisitions

Hiroshi Sugimoto (Japanese, b. 1948)
Sea of Buddha, 1997
Artist book, edition 148/1000
Offset lithograph on wove paper, aluminum covers, fabric-covered slipcase
9 13/16 x 6 7/16 x 1 1/8 inches closed
Gift of Dana Friis-Hansen and Mark Holzbach in memory of Bill Scarbrough, 2022.55

Nancy Spero (American, 1926 – 2009)
Untitled, 1988
Hand printing and collage on paper
19 x 24 ½ inches
Gift of Dana Friis-Hansen and Mark Holzbach in honor of Ron Platt, 2022.56

A photo of GRAMs exterior.

2022 Grand Rapids Art Museum Donors

GRAM sincerely thanks the individuals, foundations, and businesses listed for their financial support and gifts of art received in 2022

    Wege Foundation

    Gertrude Sherwood Widdicombe and John S. Widdicombe Trust

    Karl and Patricia Betz
    The Meijer Foundation
    PNC Bank
    Steelcase Foundation
    Kate and Richard Wolters Foundation

    Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation
    Michigan Arts and Culture Council
    MillerKnoll Foundation
    James and Mary Nelson

    Amway
    Ken Betz and Pat Brewer
    Bill and Marilyn Crawford
    Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation
    Grand Rapids Community Foundation
    Greenleaf Trust
    Mary Loupee
    National Endowment for the Arts
    Steelcase Inc.
    Wolverine Worldwide

    Bank of America
    Jeffrey and Meg Bennett
    Gregory and Rajene Betz
    Beusse & Porter Family Foundation
    CDV5 Foundation
    The Community Foundation of the Holland/​Zeeland Area
    Peter C. & Emajean Cook Foundation
    Cornucopia Family Foundation
    Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation
    Eenhoorn, LLC.
    Fifth Third Bank
    Gifts made in honor of Dana Friis-Hansen and Mark Holzbach
    Gillett Family Foundation
    Haworth Helps
    Dirk and June Hoffius
    Howard Miller Company
    Barbara and Thomas Jackoboice
    Jack H. Miller
    Miller Johnson Attorneys
    National Christian Foundation Michigan
    The Louis and Helen Padnos Foundation
    RDV Corporation
    The Sebastian Foundation Fund of the Grand Rapids Community Foundation
    Dean and Helga Toriello
    Allen and Nancy Vander Laan
    Greg and Meg Willit

    A. K. Rikk’s
    Barnes & Thornburg LLP
    Frank and Ann Battistella Grand Rapids Art Museum Fund
    John R. Bertsch
    BISSELL Inc.
    Janet Gatherer Boyles & John Boyles
    brightly
    The Brooks Family
    Sam and Janene Cummings
    Mimi Cummings
    CWD Real Estate
    Robert W. Daverman, AIA
    Brian DeVries and Barbara Pugh
    DTE Energy Foundation
    Kayem Dunn
    Michael and Lynette Ellis
    Ferris State University
    Foster Swift Collins & Smith PC
    William H. Gilbert Trust
    Meg Goebel
    Grand Haven Area Community Foundation
    Grand Valley State University
    Jeff Gurney and Xuesi Li Gurney
    Terry D. West and Richard L. Hagan
    HR Collaborative
    Michael and Susan Jandernoa
    ICN Foundation
    Dorothy A. Johnson
    The Jury Foundation
    Keller Foundation
    Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University
    Herbert and Sharon Lantinga
    James Laramy and Barbara Anetsberger
    Marsh McLennan Agency
    Barbara Mayo-Johnson
    Jane and John Meilner
    Laurie Murphy and Ed Manderfeld
    Carol Muth
    Janet and Mark Nisbett
    Beth O’Shaughnessy and Terry Rathbun
    Bill Padnos and Margy Kaye
    Doug and Nancy Padnos
    Ruth Posthumus and Marlin Feyen
    Jim and Marie Preston
    Progressive AE
    Reagan Marketing + Design, LLC
    Rehmann
    Milt and Barbara Rohwer
    Shelley Padnos and Carol Sarosik
    Susan and Jack Smith
    Marilyn Titche
    Jerry & Marcia Tubergen Foundation
    Dan and Ellen Vander Mey
    Varnum LLP
    Warner Norcross + Judd
    Scott and Rebecca Wierda
    Leslie Williams
    In Memory of Douglas S. Williams
    Williams Distributing

    Acrisure
    Applause Catering + Events
    Stacie Behler and Tony Baker
    Matthew and Sharon Berger
    Sandra and Thomas Bergh
    Thomas and Sandra Burr
    Burr & Company
    Phillip and Julie Croll
    Joy Hillebrand and George Croll
    Deidre Interiors
    Tom and Robbin DeMeester
    John and Marilyn Drake
    Ronald Ford, MD and Dawn Ford
    Mr. and Mrs. David G. Frey
    Dana Friis-Hansen and Mark Holzbach
    Larry and Mary Gerbens
    Robert and Nancy Gleffe
    Erin Gravelyn
    M. James and Sarah G. Gunberg
    Richard G. Hansen and Nonnie Buth
    Kurt and Madelon Hassberger
    Herman Foundation
    Hindman
    Timothy and Barbara Hoffman
    Greg and Leah Hooks
    J. Visser Design
    Margy Jones
    Gil and Tinker Judson
    Patricia J Kacos
    Kathryn Chaplow Interior Design
    Mary Jean and Michael Keating
    Donald and Ann Kelley
    Rebecca and Wallson Knack
    Scott and Linda LaFontsee
    LaFontsee Galleries and Framing
    Tom Merchant
    Stephanie Naito
    New Urban Home Builders
    Gordon and Christine Olson
    Enid Packard
    Jillane and Bill Payne
    Prime Buchholz
    RHD Tire
    Lisa M. Rose & Emma Rose Starner
    Katherine and Cameron Roskam
    Christopher and Suzie Rosmarin
    Kate Kesteloot Scarbrough
    Scott Group
    Ginny Seyferth and Robert Boss
    Jeff and Kristen Smith
    Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge
    Alex & Brittany Thibodeau
    Triangle Associates, Inc.
    Dr. Ghayas and Joy Uddin
    UHY LLP
    United Jewish Foundation of Metropolitan Detroit
    University of Michigan Health-West
    The Steve & Amy Van Andel Foundation
    Mitch and Stacey Watt
    Elizabeth Welch and Brian Schwartz
    Anonymous

    Ellen Arlinsky
    Tammy and Howie Bailey
    Margaret and Jeffrey Beusse
    Frederick A. Bogaert
    Wendy and Jim BooydeGraaff
    John and Susan Borgman
    Scott and Gigi Branc
    Joan Buchanan
    Nancy Clouse
    Jeff Colvin
    In Memory of Julia Colvin
    Betsy and David Connors
    Lin Culver
    Joy DeBoer
    Gayle DeBruyn
    Roxanne Decyk
    Dennis and Merritt DeLano-Taylor
    Dale Domer
    Marilyn Dooge
    John H. Edlund
    Twink Frey
    Frey Foundation
    Tom and Sally Gleason
    Florence Goodyear
    Sandy Gordon
    Amelea and Todd Gritter
    Thomas Guback
    Jim and Kathy Hackett
    Diane and Dan Hickey
    Laura B. Huizenga Family Foundation
    John Hunting
    Margaret P. Idema
    Win and Kyle Irwin
    Winsome Kirton and Thomas Hordt
    Birgit M. Klohs and Greg Northrup
    Thomas H. Logan
    Dr. Jack and Katy Lukens Family Fund
    Judy Maggini
    Bill and India Manns
    Wendy and Edgar O. Marty
    Margaret and Robert Nault
    Patricia Nelson
    Craig and Jenny Niemann
    John O’Neill
    Mary O’Neill and Carl Erickson
    Mitchell and Karen Padnos
    Till Peters
    Kathleen Stewart Ponitz
    Priority Health
    Brian and Kristyn Quist
    Scott and Julie Reenders
    Dr. Sandra and Mr. Warren Rempel
    Rettig Gardens
    Dr. and Mrs. Arthur H. Rossof
    Charles and Stella Royce Fund for the Arts
    Ted and Gloria Rozeboom
    Gift made in honor of Carol Sarosik
    Saugatuck Brewing Co.
    James Schindler
    Jim Schipper and Jane Frey
    Joan M. Secchia
    Deanna and James K.A. Smith
    Jørgen and Meg Sørensen
    Corinne Sprague
    Marianne Stehouwer
    Mark Toncray and Janet Sullivan
    Nancy Mulnix Tweddale
    Frank and Sharon Van Haven
    Ross and Suzann VanKlompenberg
    Pam and Todd Vitaz
    Janet and Jim Watkins
    John D. and Karen L. Wells
    The Samuel L. Westerman Foundation
    Andrea Williams
    Stephan and Jennifer Wolf
    Robert Zylstra
    Anonymous

    Jim and Pat Akins
    Susan and Martin Allen
    Jonathan and Leslie Anderson
    Lisa Andersson and Richard Wood
    Mary Appelt
    Lauri and Dennis Atkinson
    Anna Baeten
    Felip Ballesteros
    Jordan Battani
    Paul Belden and Mary Lynn Rouleau
    Dr. and Mrs. Richard A. Bereza
    Kristina and Adam Bird
    Robin and Margaret Bowles
    Canopy Resources
    Betts and Jim Casey
    Stanley Cheff
    Roger and Mara Colman
    Kathryn Carolan and Donald Cooper
    Peter & Carol Cordes
    Eames Demetrios
    Collette Volkema DeNooyer and Robert J. DeNooyer II
    Abby Dilley and Jim Aidala
    Paul and Mary Jo Drueke
    Melissa and Tom Duimstra
    Charles Dutcher
    John Endres
    Gail and Jim Fahner
    Larry and Susan Faragalli
    Dr. Tony and Linda Nemec Foster
    Stephen Frykholm
    Don and Laurie Gardner
    Mark and Barbara Gerson
    Quan and Gaetan Gerville-Reache
    Kenneth and Marilyn Goodson
    Barbara Gordon
    Scott and Mary Gorsline
    Inta Grace
    Kendall Grashuis and Lori Lockyear
    Sandy and Ted Halverson
    Marcus and Helle Haw
    George and Susan Heartwell
    Robert and Elizabeth Heys
    David and Leslie Hooker
    Jim and Laurel Horman
    Paul Howland
    Robert Jamula
    Michael Janisse and Nancy Nortier
    Mary Kathryn Johnson
    James and Amy Keane
    Fred and Katharine Keller
    Dave and Betty Killoran
    Robert and Elizabeth Koenen
    Janet Krueger and Bruce Goodman
    Kum & Go
    Scott and Margaret Lancaster
    Norm and Marilyn Leven and Family
    Richard Livingston
    Ray Loeschner
    Arend and Nancy Lubbers
    Jean Magolan and Donald Malcolm
    Dr. Pablo Mahave-Veglia
    Deborah and Daniel Mankoff
    Leanne Mauriello
    Mark and Valerie McAleenan
    Janet McCasey
    Kathleen E. McDermott-Narezo
    John and Kate McGarry
    Mark and Elizabeth Murray
    Angela Nahikian
    Robert and Ellen Nelson
    Jim and Renee Overbeck
    Joan Panopoulos
    Timothy and Pamela Pietryga
    Justin Raha
    Denise and Mike Reiss
    Robbie Reynolds
    Garrick and Fran Rollert
    Mary Schaff
    Vicky Schmidt
    Valerie and Joseph Schmieder
    Kelly Scott
    Diana R. Sieger
    Alexander Stoffan
    Elizabeth and Sudip Suvedi
    Renee Tabben and Todd Wriggelsworth
    Eddie T.L. Tadlock
    Paul and Beth Taylor
    Jerry and Barbara Van Leeuwen
    Frank and Mindi VandenBosch
    Deb and Dick VanderZyden
    Margaret Vega and Tom Erdall
    Jeff and Cathy Visser
    Vogt Foundation
    Bill and Mindy Wakefield
    Tom Watson
    Sally Wierda
    Joel and Susan Wolfe

    Dana Friis-Hansen and Mark Holzbach
    Meg Goebel
    The Henson Family
    James Laramy and Barbara Anetsberger
    Claudia Siewert Liberatore

    Aperitivo
    Art of the Table
    Bekins
    Bluewater Technologies, Inc.
    Conduit Studio
    Cumulus Media
    Rockford Construction
    WGVU Public Media 

Legacy Society

  • Kirk Anderson & Sara Markman
  • Tammy & Howie Bailey
  • Kenneth Bandstra
  • John & Claudia Berry
  • Janet Gatherer Boyles & John Boyles
  • Samuel Cummings
  • John & Marilyn Drake
  • Judith Frey
  • Dana Friis-Hansen & Mark Holzbach
  • Meg Goebel
  • Erin E. Gravelyn
  • Michelle Hoexum
  • Dirk Hoffius
  • Barbara & Thomas Jackoboice
  • Cate & Sid Jansma, Jr.
  • Glen Johnson
  • Michael & Mary Jean Keating
  • Donald & Ann Kelley
  • Jim Laramy
  • Thomas Logan
  • Mary Loupee
  • Tom Merchant
  • Jack H. Miller
  • Enid Packard
  • Douglas & Nancy Padnos
  • Charles G. Schoenknecht & Ward A. Paul
  • Kathleen Stewart Ponitz
  • Jim and Marie Preston
  • Milt and Barbara Rohwer
  • Margaret Ryan
  • Ellie E. Sarafis
  • Kate Kesteloot Scarbrough
  • Gerald & Emma Talen
  • Joni Vander Till
  • James & Janet Watkins
  • Dorothy J. Williamson
  • Kate Pew Wolters
  • Anonymous (7)

Board of Trustees

  • Erin Gravelyn, President
  • Lizbeth O’Shaughnessy, Vice President
  • Jim Overbeck, Secretary/​Treasurer
  • Stacie Behler
  • Scott Branc
  • Pat Brewer
  • Bruce Clipp
  • Meg Goebel
  • Kurt Hassberger
  • India Manns
  • Jane Boyles Meilner
  • Stephanie Naito
  • Christopher Rosmarin
  • Carol Sarosik
  • Eddie T.L. Tadlock
  • Alexander Thibodeau
  • Mitchell Watt

Foundation Board of Trustees

  • Lauretta K. Murphy, President
  • Jim Overbeck, Secretary/​Treasurer
  • Thomas A. DeMeester
  • Greg Hooks
  • William Lowry
  • Janet Nisbett
  • Douglas Padnos
  • Jeff Smith

Honorary Life Trustees

  • Patricia Betz
  • Anita Carter
  • Marilyn Crawford
  • Pamella DeVos
  • Marilyn Q. Drake
  • David G. Frey
  • Dirk Hoffius
  • Mary Loupee
  • Mary Nelson
  • Kate Pew Wolters