Shared Impressions

An unprecedented collaboration between Holland arts and cultural institutions will take place next month as an exhibit of Dutch prints from Grand Valley State University's permanent collection opens in five locations.

'Shared Impressions: Contemporary Dutch Prints' opens September 5 at the Holland Museum, the Holland Area Arts Council, De Pree Art Gallery of Hope College, Freedom Village, and the GVSU Meijer Campus. The shared exhibit presents a sampling of a collection of 500 prints by contemporary Dutch artists donated to Grand Valley through a gift from Holland residents James and Donna Brooks.

The public is invited to free opening receptions for 'Shared Impressions' held Friday, September 12, at three of the participating organizations -- all located within walking distance of each other. A schedule of opening receptions and events follows:

Holland Museum, 5-6:30 p.m., 'Family Printmaking ¿ Just for Fun,' with activities for the whole family;

De Pree Art Gallery, 5-6:30 p.m., 'Meet the Collector, Cyril Lixenberg.' Visitors can meet the Dutch artist and collector who assembled the collection on exhibit;

Holland Area Arts Council, Reception 6:30-8:30 p.m., with remarks by Grand Valley President Mark A. Murray at 7 p.m.

There are more than 130 prints on display at the five organizations. They are representative of a significant collection assembled by Amsterdam sculptor and graphic artist Cyril Lixenberg, who over the decades acquired works by contemporaries he admired, many times exchanging his own artwork for that of his colleagues. The result is a showcase of the many styles, movements, and controversies that characterize Dutch works on paper over the last half-century. Artists include such high-profile names as Barbara Hepworth, Victor Vasarely, Karel Appel, and many others.

In 2001, Grand Valley acquired the entire collection, numbering 500 works on paper, through a gift from Jim and Donna Brooks of Holland.