That Shape is my Shade
Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts Gallery
January 13, 2020 - March 27, 2020

Originally from Canada, Melanie Daniel immigrated to Israel, and has been working in the United States for the past three years. Her work often explores humankind’s relationship with the natural world, imagining a chaotic environment punctuated by bold and psychedelic colors and patterns. She is currently the Stuart B. and Barbara Padnos Distinguished Artist-in-Residence Chair for the Visual and Media Arts Department at Grand Valley State University.

For That Shape is my Shade, she has coordinated a collaborative exhibition with a group of artists representing faculty, staff and students at the university. This exhibition serves as one of Daniel’s culminating projects of her residency, and explores each artist’s process of creating, sharing and stepping away from their work.

Zapatos Rojos | Red Shoes
L.V. Eberhard Center Wall Gallery
March 6, 2020 - June 9, 2020

Zapatos Rojos|Red Shoes is an itinerant installation originally organized by artist and architect Elina Chauvet in 2009, in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. It was comprised of 33 pairs of red shoes, each representing a woman who had disappeared in that community, and designed to draw attention to the fact that women were being killed without any consequences.

Since then, Chauvet has continued to develop the installation into a call to bring awareness and to work in solidarity to fight violence against women all over the world. She has re-installed the exhibition in several countries around the world including: Italy, Norway, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Brazil, Sweden, Canada, Germany, France, the United States and Mexico.

In the fall of 2017, GVSU Modern Languages Professor, Zulema Moret arranged for Chauvet to direct an installation of the Zapatos Rojos|Red Shoes in Grand Rapids. This exhibition documents many of the community groups that participated in painting the shoes, as well as the installation on October 21 at the Richard M. DeVos Center courtyard on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus.

Artifacts of Identity: Tintypes of the Modern Persona
Kirkhof Wall Gallery, Russel H. Kirkhof Center, Allendale Campus
August 17, 2020 - October 23, 2020
Richard M. DeVos Center Wall Gallery, Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus
January 4, 2021 - June 18, 2021

With the advent of tintype photography individuals of lower socio-economic status had access to a means of capturing their identity for the first time ever. Even as tintypes gave way to more advanced methods of photography its cultural impact remained. Now with a camera at almost everyone’s fingertips the “selfie” is a primary means of expressing self-identity.

Artifacts of Identity: Tintypes of the Modern Persona showcases antique tintypes from the GVSU Art Gallery Collection along-side modern tintypes portraits by local Grand Rapids artist, Bud Kibby. Kibby graduated with honors from the Kendall College of Art and Design in 2013 with a degree in photography. He is the owner and sole proprietor of TINYuproar Inc. and has remained active in the local community as both a professional photographer and artist.

Voices: Partnered in Action Against Racism
Eberhard Wall Gallery, L.V. Eberhard Center, GVSU Pew Campus
August 17, 2020 - October 23, 2020

On May 25, 2020 George Floyd, a 46 year old black man, was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis. The next day, and throughout the following weeks, protests erupted across the United States and around the world, including here in West Michigan. The sheer volume and intensity of these protests may be an unprecedented moment in the fight against systemic racism, but the fight itself is not new. Inequality is woven into the fabric of this country and unraveling the threads of race-based discrimination, bias, and violence is a monumental task. 

Drawn from the permanent collection of art at Grand Valley State University, this exhibition seeks to elevate the voices and experiences of Black artists, activists, and allies. It features a wide range of artwork and artists, paired with statements that contextualize the work within this moment of massive social change. The voices of Black artists expressing their daily struggles and range of approaches to addressing systemic racism are included next to responses by GV faculty who embed conversations about race, identity, and oppression into their curriculum.

In the face of institutional racism, the GVSU Art Gallery supports equality for all and stands with those who fight for it. The simple act of looking, listening, and considering the perspectives of others is one that can develop into deep, meaningful change. We recognize that the fight for equality continues, and it is our hope that these works of art and voices can stimulate understanding and contribute to this important cause.

Celebrate People's History
GVSU Performing Arts Center Gallery, Allendale Campus
August 28, 2020 - November 6, 2020

Rooted in the do-it-yourself tradition of mass-produced and distributed political propaganda, the Celebrate People’s History (CPH) poster series seeks to generate a diverse collection that brings to life successful moments in the history of social justice struggles. The project has been organized and curated by Josh MacPhee for over twenty years, beginning in 1998 when he created a poster of Malcolm X, and then pasted copies throughout Chicago’s West Side. Over the following years, MacPhee asked artists and designers to join the CPH project by finding events, groups, and people who have moved forward the collective struggle of humanity to create a more equitable and just world and to interpret them with their unique vision and style.

Today CPH posters grace the walls of living center rooms, apartments, community centers, classrooms, and city streets. Over 125 different designs have been printed in the past twenty years, adding up to nearly half a million total posters. Although MacPhee has organized and funded these posters himself, the series has always been a collective project. Nearly two hundred artists have designed posters, including Brett Colley, associate professor in the Department of Visual & Media Arts at Grand Valley State University. In addition to the artists, multiple community-based print shops have done the production, dozens of people have run around at night pasting them on the street, and thousands have helped distribute them around the world.