Festival 2011

If it's spring, it must be time for the annual Festival of the Arts in downtown Grand Rapids. The 42nd year, with is pretty darn good for an all volunteer event. I believe it could be the biggest all volunteer event in the country.

I entered 3 pieces this year in the juried art competition and was lucky enough to get two in.

The first one, pictured above (in the middle) is a photo I took in January when my fearless photo assistant, our puppy Annie and I wandered around Holland Michigan for a bit and managed to get this landscape photo about an hour after sunset.

The second photo was one of the nudes I shot earlier this year. I would have had a photo of it, but I got sidetracked by some friends first, and then ended up talking to the juror and getting my photo taken next to my pieces. Hopefully I can post it later.

The opening reception was this past Thursday at the Grand Rapids Art Museum, where the show is being held. We got there late, so we missed out on the food, but it was fun seeing all the work that got accepted this year, and talking to people I knew.

I was also extremely geeked about having my work hang in the museum. I'm not sure why, but it feels more like my works been accepted than when they hang the show in an empty building. Mentally I know it's the same show, for the same reasons, but emotionally it feels different.

Since we missed the food, Dorothy and I ended up at Hopcat downtown. A local bar that serves great food, and specializes in all sorts of beer, it was a great place to end the evening. She liked it, and we are adding it to our places to go list.

The show is up for 3 weeks, and there is free admission to the museum the first week of June, during Festival itself.