Border Cantos | Sonic Border Student Experiences

Museum staff, volunteers, and guest artists will lead all activities and help your group navigate through the museum to explore several immersive activity stations designed for the exhibition Border Cantos | Sonic Border. Groups will rotate through three interactive experiences during their two-hour session:

Border Cantos | Sonic Border Exhibition Experience

Students will explore the exhibition and engage with GRAM Docents, with an emphasis on student-centered learning and critical thinking throughout their experience, utilizing an interactive and inquiry-based approach to looking at and discussing works of art. Students will have time to make their own observations, draw meaningful connections, and communicate deeply about the visual arts.

Deos Contemporary Ballet Activity Station

Deos Contemporary Ballet will perform a new 20-minute dance choregraphed to Guillermo Galindo’s composition featured in the exhibition, Sonic Border. After the dance performance, students will be divided into small groups, each with a professional dancer as their group facilitator. During this time, the groups will engage in discussion exploring how both movement and music can transcend language and cultural barriers to bring people together. A short movement workshop will follow within the small groups. Each group will focus on a theme inspired by the core concepts of the exhibition. Working together, with insight from the professional dancer, the students will use movement and the original soundscape to express their theme. Sponsored by Studio 616 Photography.

Sound Innovation Maker Station

Students will deepen their experience through the creation of instruments in GRAM Studio. Led by Grand Rapids-based artist Mandy Cano Villalobos, participants will create innovative sound implements from bells, clothing scraps, small toys, costume jewelry, and discarded collectibles. During this process, students will explore the value of ​“leftovers” in everyday life, seeing their artistic potential as cultural artifacts and reflecting on their own stories in the sculptures. Mandy Cano Villalobos is an inter­dis­ci­pli­nary artist whose work spans installation, 2D, textile, and sculpture. Her projects explore ideas of home, memory, and cultural identity. Cano Villalobos exhibits throughout the United States, Latin America and in Europe.

Limit of 100 students per session. You may also register smaller group sizes (30 – 70 students). GRAM requires at least one adult chaperone and/​or teacher to attend per every 10 students

Admission is free. Registered groups must secure their own bus transportation with their preferred provider, and then submit their transportation invoice directly to Emily Jarvi (ejarvi@artmuseumgr.org) for payment or reimbursement.

Space is limited. Please fill out the School Interest Form and a member of our team will get in touch with you. For more information, please reach out to School Experience Manager Emily Jarvi at ejarvi@artmuseumgr.org or 616.831.2928.