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Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Fifty Two Strong Headed for Grand Rapids






 This is  Honey and me fifty two years ago this Thursday. Our wedding seems like a minute ago. We must have been having a very good time through good and bad times, for the years sure did  fly by.  To celebrate our good fortune in finding each other, Honey surprised me with  a trip. We're off to Grand Rapids tomorrow courtesy of the JW Marriott.  It seems the hotel chain really liked all the times we stayed at their place in Cancun and wanted to thank us.

When Honey told me, "Grand Rapids ,"I said., "What the hell is in Grand Rapids?"  Turns out quite a lot. Honey and I are going arting  about--not exactly Honey's cup of tea, but he asked me and after doing a thorough online investigation, I'm delighted

Grand Rapids is quite the respectable art community a couple of hours away from Detroit. It has the GRAM, the  BOB, the Gerald R. Ford Museum, the Meijer Sculpture Gardens, The Grand Rapids People's Museum with a planetarium and a relatively new JW Marriott Hotel complete with indoor pool and spa.

In the Fall, Grand Rapids hosts ArtPrize, a festival of art of world wide proportions with a monetary prize that would buy a lot of paint. Last year's winner, Mia Travonatti, took home $250,000 for her phenomenal mosaic painting, Crucifixion.  The event as described officially online is enticing. After seeing Mia's work and her process, we're going.
ArtPrize is a social experiment
ArtPrize® is an international art competition and social experiment where anyone can be an artist, any space can be a venue and everyone has a voice.
International Art Competition:
In 2011 artists from 39 countries participated in ArtPrize. In addition to artists, curators, jurors, speakers, educators, press, critics and visitors from all over the world flood Grand Rapids, Mi to participate in awarding the worlds largest prize for art.
If you're interested in exhibiting, go HERE.



The fun things I'm looking forward to on Thursday are the Raucshenberg Exhibit at the GRAM (Grand Rapids Art Museum) and the Meijer Sculpture Gardens if the weather is friendly. I hope it is; I've got to see Deborah Butterfield's Horses. In between, we're going to the BOB, a Big Old Building filled with restaurants and galleries.  For lunch, we'll do Bobarino's where you can eat outdoors--the weather being friendly, wbf. There's also some action at the comedy club, Dr. Grin's, also at the BOB. Todd Yohn is performing. I have no idea who he is, but Honey and I do like to  laugh.

Rauschenberg is of particular interest to me. The Abstract Expressionist married painting to sculpture in his colorful relief constructions. The exhibit is a big one.

The Gerald R. Ford Museum is on my agenda for Friday morning. Aside from Ford's presidential memorabilia, there are two temporary exhibits: Freedom Riders and Bob Hope, An American Treasure. Both have peaked my interest, particularly The Freedom Riders. With a small infant in the crib, I could only watch these  brave people protest racial inequality from the safety of my home.

Grand Rapids is  home base for the Alticor Corporation.  Alticor probably means nothing to you, but Amway might if you're a vitamin enthusiast? Alticor is the new name of the company when it was restructed in 2000.  And there was big money invested in the culture of the city by the families of J.Van Andel and  Richard Devos, co founders of Amway.  While I was sleuthing info on these two guys who most generously supported the arts, I came across another point of interest:  the Voight House Victorian Museum. It is a part of the GR Public Museum. Now, Honey isn't big on being shlepped around visiting this museum and that, so I might miss it, but  I'm not going to miss the 1928 Spillman carousel.  The carousel was the only ride I'd go on at a carnival as a kid--and I couldn't go round and round  and up and down enough times. Honey and I have had quite a ride these last fifty two years, I think we'll go for one more  ride on the carousel and one more year of our spectacular partnership?



15 comments:

  1. WOW, you are one gorgeous couple!... btw, did the lace on your sleeves itch? just askin'. Unfortunately/fortunately, I did not have a traditional wedding... too many 'oogly' circumstances in the way... Deep down, I wish I could of had the stress of a wedding...but that's water under the bridge.. can't fix it... Congrats on the 52 years... A big celebration planned?

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    1. Ours was a no stress wedding. The big hotel wedding that would have been stressing had been scheduled for June. We moved it up to April to my dad's club. Honey was A1A for the draft. He joined the Army reserves instead and was scheduled to leave for Missouri for six months at the end of April. We used the June wedding invitations, embossed lettering on parchment, to make our grocery list for years after.

      I don't remember the sleeves itching. I do remember thinking I had no business wearing a mantia. It was dumb; I wasn't Spanish. My mom picked the dress. I was nineteen and could have cared less. I also fired my bridesmaids and kept my BF on as maid of honor. The girls were squabbling over which dress. I told my BF to wear whatever she wanted. Her dress was prettier than mine. It was a pretty laid back affair. Fun memories.

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  2. Linda, I wish you and Honey a wonderful Anniversary!!! It sounds like you are going to have one fabulous time visiting all those exhibits. Take lots of photos [especially the carousel] and have a super time!

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    1. Thank you Kathryn. I did take photos! I'm resting my legs before processing them--might not get to it today--my knees kneed ice packs from all the walking. Have a lovely, Happy Easter.

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  3. My goodness, Linda what a beautiful photo! You're so beautiful!!! Happy anniversary and have a great day tomorrow!!

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  4. Congratulations and best wishes for many more happy years!
    Steven

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    1. Thank you Steven. While away, I read your post and saw that beautiful painting (greens and grays, great values) of yours. After your appreciable display of skill, what I loved about the painting was its size. I am really having difficulty with trying to adjust to the small size canvases Bloggerwold artists lean towards. I bought a few for a few paint "sketches," but 16 x 12, 16 x 20, that really is as small as I feel comfortable going. You really do beautiful work and I admire your laid back attitude.

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  5. Linda, you looked lovely in that dress...very elegant. Congratulations on 52 years. How wonderful!!!

    Happy Anniversary and enjoy your trip.

    Yours,
    Nanina

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    1. Fifty two years is quite a feat Nanina. Lot's of growing together, growing apart, coming together again. We had a great time away--even if just down the road a piece--and learned some more about ourselves in the process.

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  6. Congratulations on this very successful marriage, and I love your wedding picture..your dress is stunning and you look very much like Grace kelly :-) Wish you an awesome trip!

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  7. Congratulations on your Anniversary and I hope you have a wonderful and Grand trip to celebrate.

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  8. congratulations LW and "Honey"! I am excited for you to go take this interesting trip. I hope you'll share your discoveries. It will be fun to find out more (!)<---exclamation mark!

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    1. I didn't take all those photographs with the thought of keeping them to myself Celeste. I have to get a couple of blog posts out of them after shlepping the camera. I was truly amazed at this arty city in my own backward--and nearly done in. it's ice packs and movies on the couch for me tonight.

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  9. hope you had a wonderful trip ...congratulations linda ..what a beautiful B/W wedding photo....have a good easter

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