Best of the BFA at Site:Lab
Site:Lab has teamed up with the University of Michigan School of Art & Design to convert the former Junior Achievement Building at the corner of Fulton and Division in downtown Grand Rapids into a temporary gallery and exhibition space for a series of shows throughout 2011.
From Friday, June 3rd through Sunday, June 5th, the collaboration is hosting “The Best of the BFA.” This exhibition is scheduled to coincide with Grand Rapids’ annual Festival of the Arts and will consist of works selected by the faculty of colleges throughout Michigan from the BFA shows of their graduating seniors. Participating schools include Kendall College of Art & Design, The University of Michigan School of Art & Design, Grand Valley State University and Calvin College. Exhibiting students are listed below.
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SCHOOL OF ART & DESIGN
Maggie Baczewski
Erika Cross
Lucy Engelman
Autumn Fawn Hernandez
Shannon Kohlitz
Jason Mahakian
Rachel Michelle McGuffin
Amariah Stepter
Mike Syron
Audrey Trent
Angela Wang
CALVIN COLLEGE
Hannah Abma
Meredith Donnelly
Aletheia Shin
Sean VandenBrink
GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
Megan Oswalt
Julia Victor
KENDALL COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN
Amy Bailey
ChuruLeigh
Ann Cobb
Amanda Coe
Alex Gifford
Ben Groggel
Blair Jeffers
Myra Maness
Kari Thurman
Katherine Zychowski
Site:Lab is a non-profit that organizes temporary art exhibitions in commercial and industrial buildings in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Exhibitions provide college art students with opportunities and experience in showing their work in a non-commercial setting. By moving from location to location, each project takes on a unique identity, dictated by the structure and history of its site.
“Site:Lab is the perfect fit with Festival,” said co-chair Alex Castro. “It’s forward-thinking and presents local artists who haven’t traditionally been a part of Festival.”
“Site:Lab allows Festival to provide a wonderful opportunity for college-age artists to exhibit their works,” adds Joanne Bailey-Boorsma, Festival co-chair.
“The JA Building has been stripped down to its concrete columns and peeling paint, so it’s a visually stunning and flexible space for a series of creative projects,” said Paul Amenta, Site:Lab curator. “And we think featuring work from college students will allow us to welcome visitors with a show that’s wonderfully different from other Festival exhibits.”
Site:Lab will be open during the hours of Festival:
Friday, June 3: Noon-10pm
Saturday, June 4: 10am-10pm
Sunday, June 5: 10am-7pm
Festival of the Arts takes place June 3, 4 and 5 in downtown Grand Rapids. The event features six performance stages, art activities for children and adults, a juried art show in the Grand Rapids Art Museum, art for sale by local artists, and food booths operated by area nonprofit organizations.
Information about Site:Lab: http://www.site-lab.org.
Information about Festival: http://www.festivalgr.org.
Festival is nationally recognized as the largest all-volunteer arts event in the country. The event was selected by U.S. Representative Vern Ehlers for inclusion in the U.S. Library of Congress’ Local Legacies collection, for being the area’s finest contribution to the community. In 2005, Festival received the Governor’s Arts Award for Best Cultural Organization.