Our Mission
We believe in the arts as a core value, in the power of the arts to promote excellence, cross-cultural understanding and a strong community. We strive to invest our resources and energies to make the arts central to the lives of everyone in our community.

Our Commitment to the Arts
Like a chamber of commerce for the arts, the Arts Council of Greater Grand Rapids works with arts organizations and cultural groups to build their capacity. The result is a stunning array of high quality theatre productions, dance performances, art exhibits, opera, symphony, museum offerings, arts education experiences – everything cities much larger might expect from their nonprofit arts and culture partners.

Perhaps you are a classroom teacher or arts specialist interested in sharing ideas or connecting to resources about arts education. Or maybe you are a school administrator, ready to learn more about arts education research. You may be looking for the perfect arts event or cultural activity for a family holiday, or for help to connect you to Grand Rapids. You may work for an arts organization that needs to network with peers, or learn about funding sources, or strengthen internal systems. Maybe you’re simply a local artist looking for a way to connect with other artists, or find a venue for an exhibit. You can look for the answer here in our web pages.

Visual Art and the Arts Council Gallery
The Arts Council office spaces serve as more than just working areas. We also have a small gallery in which we feature local artists.

Current Exhibit:
Polished World of Imagination
You are cordially invited to a reception with the artists at the Arts Council, 532 Ottawa Avenue NW, on Wednesday, September 17 from 5:00-6:30pm. Please RSVP by September 12 by calling (616) 459- 2787 x12.

For information about this exhibit, please click here (90k PDF).

Working together to align the arts: The Culture Pass
Get on board with the latest local opportunity to experience the cultural community at large in the greater Grand Rapids area as 16 arts and cultural organizations announce a new marketing collaboration directed toward members and subscribers. The Culture Pass, a new coupon book, allows members of one organization to save on tickets or admission to other area organizations.
   -> Press release in Word format (36k)
   -> Press release in PDF format (112k)

We're here for you...
Whatever your interest in the arts and cultural scene in Grand Rapids, Michigan, we hope you find what you are looking for here. And if you don’t find it, and you’ve hunted unsuccessfully for it on our sitemap, just email us and we’ll help you make the connection.

Iliana Ordaz-Jeffries, Executive Director
Arts Council of Greater Grand Rapids
Location: 532 Ottawa NW, Grand Rapids, MI
Send all mail to: P.O. Box 2265, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Phone: 616-459-2787 Fax: 616-459-7160