Artwork from well-traveled GVSU alumnus graces luxury hotel in Grand Rapids

When the new JW Marriott officially opens this week in Grand Rapids, visitors will be introduced to the city’s five Sister Cities through photographs by Dan Watts, a 1979 graduate of Grand Valley State University.

Watts’ photos are featured throughout each guest room and corridor the 23-story hotel. To complete the project he traveled to Omihachiman, Japan; Perugia, Italy; Bielsko-Biala, Poland; Ga District, Ghana; and Zapopan, Mexico.

“I am so honored to have been selected to be a permanent part of such a monumental project. This truly was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Watts said. The project is the largest collection of Sister City photography in the world.

Watts graduated from what was then Grand Valley’s William James College. He pursued anthropological photography, combining his love of photography and his interest in studying world cultures. Watts has traveled to 34 countries on corporate and personal projects, working for more than three years in Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America.