Take An Art Excursion in West Michigan

Walking through a beautiful art gallery or scenic art festival is bound to bring out your creative side. Here in West Michigan, an art excursion is always nearby with many museums, galleries, art centers, and annual festivals. If you want to surround yourself with your favorite art, many galleries and stores sell items that can turn your home into your own art sanctuary. Find your bliss with West Michigan's vast and varied arts culture.

Art in Southern West Michigan

The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts is a museum and art school filled with opportunities to experience, enjoy, learn about, and make art. The KIA offers tours, classes, exhibits, and hands-on experiences for the whole family. Their upcoming exhibits include Out of the Fire: Masterworks of Ceramics and Pressed for Time: History of Printmaking.

The Saugatuck Center for the Arts began with the notion that a great arts community should have a robust art center and that a robust art center could, in turn, help create an even more vibrant community. 15 years later, the SCA is living proof of this concept. In addition to exhibits which includes the Tributes of Authentic Heroism: Investigation of Grace, Vision, Clarity & Purpose, the Saugatuck Center for the Arts has stage performances, concerts, educational programs, and more.

More Art in Southern West Michigan

• Box Factory for the Arts, St. Joseph
• Island Art Fair, Grand Ledge
• Khnemu Studio on Fernwood Farm, Fennville
• Ledge Craft Lane, Grand Ledge
• Tibbits Opera House, Coldwater

Art in Central West Michigan

Muskegon is home to several art festivals and galleries that will surely please your artistic side. This summer, there's three festivals for every and any art enthusiast: White Lake Arts & Crafts Festival, Lakeshore Art Festival, and Arts & Drafts Festival. Taking place on June 17th and 18th, the White Lake Arts & Crafts Festival features juried arts, entertainment, food, and over 75 booths. Another festival, The Lakeshore Art Festival, is back for its fifth year when it returns on July 7th and 8th. With over 300 fine arts and crafts booths lining Western Avenue and Hackley Park, the festival truly takes over Muskegon's City Center. Interactive arts, street performers, and musicians will provide further entertainment throughout this festival. Rounding out the summer is the Arts & Drafts Festival on August 19th. Kicking off with a 5K run, this festival has plenty of food and beverage to go along with the handcrafted goods that are available to purchase. If you're looking for art in Muskegon, these festivals are the perfect way to immerse yourself in it all.

If you can't make it out to one of these festivals, Muskegon's art galleries and museums are calling your name. Throughout the city, you'll find small galleries and art centers that show off the area's arts culture. Visit the Muskegon Museum of Art to get the ultimate in art experiences. The Muskegon Museum of Art is one of the finest regional art museums in the midwest, and for good reason. They have a 104 year history in the area with a reputation of bringing in some of the best exhibits in addition to their growing collection.

In May of 2017, The Muskegon Museum of Art will present a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition of national significance: Edward S. Curtis: The North American Indian. Documenting the lives of western Native American peoples, the stunning portraits and landscapes of The North American Indian, which were created from 1907 through 1930, are considered to be both the greatest artistic collaboration and photographic achievement in history.

Every year, Grand Rapids is taken over by ArtPrize for 19 days in September and October. ArtPrize is a radically different kind of art festival, with art featured throughout Grand Rapids' City Center and in some of the surrounding area. Find art at Van Andel/DeVos Place, the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Frederik Meijer Gardens, and more. Even with all these great venues, some of the best art can be found just by walking through downtown Grand Rapids. Anything is fair game, so you're sure to find paintings, sculptures, 3D displays, interactive art, and much more. ArtPrize is the perfect time to explore a lively Grand Rapids while constantly surrounded by art!

Whether you're in Grand Rapids for ArtPrize, or you find yourself there during other times of the year, a stop at the Grand Rapids Art Museum is sure to inspire your artistic side. Focusing on art, design, and creativity, the GRAM provides diverse platforms for experiences, ideas, and dialogue that seek to enrich the human spirit and build practical learning skills.

C2C Gallery in Grand Haven believes that life is better when it includes art. Their mission is to bring the work of great artists into the homes, cottages, and offices of their clients. C2C Gallery offers a very wide range of art at affordable prices. With their motto "Art for Your Everyday Life," C2C Galley truly wants to show you to experience the artsier side of life.

More Art in Central West Michigan

• Allegan Antiques Market, Allegan
• Fallasburg Arts Festival, Lowell
• Lake Odessa Area Arts Commission, Lake Odessa
• Leila Arboretum & Children's Garden, Battle Creek
• LowellArts, Lowell
• Olde World Village, Augusta
• Tlaquepaque Art & Decor, Grand Haven

Art in Northern West Michigan

The Art Gallery of Algoma is a public gallery dedicated to cultivating and advancing the awareness of visual arts in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The AGA's commitment to excellence is reflected in all aspects of its programming. Approximately 24 exhibitions are mounted each year featuring local, national, and International Artists. The AGA also boasts an ever-growing Permanent Collection of 5000 works of art and an arts-related resource centre.

The Marquette Area has art galleries and museums that you can peruse at your own pace, but the real star of Marquette's art scene are their events. Art Week in Marquette is a weeklong event that is dedicated to the arts, culture, and community. This collaborative effort highlights Marquette artists' regional artwork, live performances, and demonstrations. Later in the summer is Art on the Rocks. This annual event returns on July 29th and 30th to showcase fine art along the shores of Lake Superior. More than 175 artists bring their art, which includes jewelry, photography, ceramics, fibers, and more! These two events are more than enough to please your inner artist.

More Art in Northern West Michigan

• Adams Madams, Central Lake
• Oliver Art Center, Frankfort

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