Grand Rapids Art Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1910 |
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| Location | 101 Monroe Center Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503 |
| Visitors | 255,000 (estimate, 2010)
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| Architect | Munkenbeck+Marshall Architects, 2002-2004 & Kulapat Yantrasast of wHY Architecture, 2004-completion |
The Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) is a cool place in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, where you can see amazing art. It has a huge collection of art, from very old Renaissance pieces to exciting Modern Art. You can also find special collections of European and American art from the 1800s and 1900s. GRAM is home to over 5,000 artworks. This includes more than 3,500 prints, drawings, and photographs. One famous piece is Ingleside by Richard Diebenkorn, made in 1963.
Contents
History of the Grand Rapids Art Museum
How the Museum Started
The museum first opened its doors in 1910. It was originally called the Grand Rapids Art Gallery. Soon after, its name was changed to the Grand Rapids Art Museum, or GRAM. When it first started, the museum was located in an old house. This house was at 230 Fulton Street.
Moving to a New Home
In 1981, the museum moved to a new, bigger location. It moved into the historic Federal Building on Pearl Street. This building gave the museum more space for its growing art collection.
Building a Green Museum
Later, in 2004, construction began on a brand new building for GRAM. This new building was special because it was designed to be a "green museum." This means it was built to be very friendly to the environment. It was planned to get a special award called LEED certification.
The new building is very large, with lots of space for art. It has about 20,000 square feet just for galleries and exhibitions. This building earned the LEED Gold certification. This shows it is a top example of environmentally friendly design.
London-based Munkenbeck+Marshall Architects started the design for the new building in 2002. They worked on it from the very beginning. In 2004, architect Kulapat Yantrasast of wHY Architecture took over. He finished the project and brought the new museum to life.
Artists at GRAM
Many talented artists have shown their work at the Grand Rapids Art Museum. Some of these artists include Samuel Yellin, Frederick Carl Frieseke, and Harriet Whitney Frishmuth. Other artists like Doug Argue and Ryan Spencer Reed have also displayed their amazing creations here. The museum often features different artists. This allows visitors to see many styles and types of art.
