Page 2 - Posts - Art Museum - Grand Valley State University

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

This Mental Health Month’s theme is “Turn Awareness into Action,” with a goal of acknowledging the progress that has been made in recognizing the importance of mental health and challenging Americans to turn understanding into steps towards change.

GVSU Alumni GVSU Art Museum Collection

Published May 1, 2025 by Nicole Webb

French print of a woman holding a red umbrella in one hand, and bucket and the hand of a little girl in a yellow dress in the other.

Shelter and Style: Umbrellas in Art

The next time you open an umbrella—whether for rain or shine—let it serve as a reminder that the weather has bothered humankind for ages and that some of history’s greatest artistic masterpieces capture the umbrellas as a symbol of life’s simple luxuries.

GVSU Art Museum Collection

Published April 1, 2025 by Nicole Webb

Hyper realistic painted cityscape of Grand Rapids with the Blue Bridge.

Capturing the History of Grand Rapids: Cityscape Paintings

Today, artists strive to paint the world around them as they see it, including the urban areas of our very own Grand Rapids, Michigan.

GVSU Art Museum Collection Landscapes

Published April 1, 2025 by Nicole Webb

Yellow, black and white poster with the image of a woman, Sylvia Ray Rivera, holding up her arm in protest.

Transgender Day of Visibility

Exploring diverse identities through art can be a powerful way to enhance awareness, foster empathy, and deepen our understanding of the world.

Gender GVSU Art Museum Collection

Published March 14, 2025 by Nicole Webb

Colorful painting of a forest scene with abstract trees and plants.

Finding Inspiration from Nature: GVSU's Ravines

Many artists in the GVSU Art Museum collection have captured Michigan landscapes over the years, some have even found inspiration here at GVSU.

GVSU Art Museum Collection Landscapes Michigan Artists

Published March 1, 2025 by Nicole Webb

Color drawing of a woman covered in deciduous trees.

Beauty and Abundance: Mother Nature

The depiction of Mother Nature in art dates to ancient civilizations, and many cultures have legends that include goddesses and personifications of nature.

GVSU Art Museum Collection Mythology

Published February 1, 2025 by Nicole Webb

Image of a brooch with a painting of an eye.

An Adoring Gaze: Lovers Eye Jewelry

The GVSU Art Museum is lucky to have recently obtained a lover’s eye brooch for its permanent collection. But it is steeped in mystery- whose eye was this, and who was its lucky recipient?

GVSU Art Museum Collection Jewelry

Published February 1, 2025 by Nicole Webb

Top of painting has white background with a curved red brick wall. The bottom of the painting has a yellow background with a dark boat shape.

Holocaust Remembrance Day

The GVSU Art Museum Collection holds works by artists, both Jewish and non-Jewish, who share their experiences of living through or fleeing from the Nazi regime.

GVSU Art Museum Collection

Published January 1, 2025 by Nicole Webb

Collage of different flowers, from all different seasons, in a woven basket.

Behind the Scenes of 2024

For the GVSU Art Museum, 2024 was another great success- but what happened behind the scenes?

GVSU Art Museum Collection

Published December 1, 2024 by Nicole Webb

Screenprint that reads "What can we grow from crisis". There are black and white plants growing from the bottom of the print to the top.

Food for Thought

Food for Thought was a project a GVSU Art Museum student worked on as part of their semester-long internship doing curatorial and preparatory work for the museum.

GVSU Art Museum Collection

Published December 1, 2024 by Elise Moore, GVSU Art Museum Exhibition Intern

Image of Indigenous women in red dresses being pulled upwards to the sky.

Native American Heritage Month

Native American Heritage Month has roots back to New York, at the turn of the twentieth century. Today, Native American Heritage Month continues to call attention to the cultures, traditions, and achievements of indigenous peoples and of descendants.

GVSU Art Museum Collection Michigan Artists

Published November 1, 2024 by Nicole Webb

Metal pendant with a tiny glass window that shows blonde hair in the pendant.

Remembering a Loved One: Mourning Jewelry

Throughout human existence, different cultures have established ways to honor their deceased loved ones. One way is through remembrance or mourning jewelry.

GVSU Art Museum Collection Jewelry

Published October 1, 2024 by Nicole Webb

Colorful portrait of a woman wearing a pink shirt against a bright green background. She wears a Lucha Libre Mexican wrestling mask that is red and white.

Michigan Artists Representing Mexico

Today, roughly 6% of people in Michigan identify as Hispanic or Latinx. The GVSU Art Museum Collection includes several artists who have lived and worked in Michigan but still uniquely represent aspects of Mexican culture and tradition.

GVSU Art Museum Collection LatinX Artists Michigan Artists

Published September 3, 2024 by Nicole Webb

Colorful digital illustration that tells the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.

Illustration: The Art of Depicting a Story

Many artists are also illustrators, using the images they create to tell a narrative.

GVSU Art Museum Collection Illustration

Published September 1, 2024 by Nicole Webb

Black and white photograph of a lighted sign that reads "Men Don't Protect You Anymore"

The Lens of Humanity: Documentary Photography

Before the popularity of television and the rise of the internet, documentary photography was an important way for people to learn about world events or see what life looked like across the globe.

Contemporary Photography GVSU Art Museum Collection Photography

Published September 1, 2024 by Nicole Webb

Circular watercolor in shades of blue, white and some purple. Image of hand near bottom right.

Celebrate World Watercolor Month

Looking for inspiration or ideas for your own adventures with watercolor? Check out some of the watercolor artists featured below from the GVSU Art Collection!

GVSU Art Museum Collection Painting

Published July 1, 2024 by Nicole Webb

JApanese print of people with umbrellas walking over a bridge in heavy rain.

Ame: Japanese Weather in Woodblock Prints

Take a closer look at some of the Japanese woodblock prints in the GVSU Collection. How are different types of weather depicted?

GVSU Art Museum Collection Landscapes Printmaking

Published June 1, 2024 by Nicole Webb

Print of a woman's face with a circular floral border around her face. Around are the words, "Make Art Not War."

Art and Social Movements

Social movements involve groups of people trying to create change in the world. Artwork is often created in direct response to a movement that is happening in the moment.

GVSU Art Museum Collection Social Justice

Published May 2, 2024 by Nicole Webb

Black Portraiture

To be able to see a representation of oneself is empowering. To see representation in an institution that is dedicated to displaying and preserving artistically and culturally significant objects is affirming.

GVSU Art Museum Collection

Published April 1, 2024 by Nicole Webb

Colorful print of the exterior of a building with icicles and a sign that reads "Al's Toyland."

Artists Collecting Artwork

Over the years, the GVSU Art Museum has worked with artists who have collected prints by artists who they have worked side-by-side with, collaborated with, or simply appreciated their story and artwork.

Exhibit GVSU Art Museum Collection

Published February 1, 2024 by Nicole Webb