Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

How can an old basketball hoop, disintegrating milkweed pod, or paint on reclaimed wood tell us the stories of our own lives and others? Celebrate two exhibitions exploring facets of history and humanity through their unique approaches to reuse of materials at this art reception and artist talk.

Heidi Wanzek explores our fragile, evolving place within the cycle of life and death in her show Within the Threshold, while Charvis Harrell reframes history and identity through a Black perspective in his show The Games We Play. Meet the artists, talk about the art, and enjoy an evening out with appetizers and drinks at this Art Night Out.

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Middle school kids ages 11 - 15 are invited to join Fire in the Village for COHERENT CROW CAMP, a week of art-making and empowerment!

Crow Campers will try printmaking (patches,‘zines, posters), poetry, songwriting, music, D.I.Y. fashion, journaling and photography — as well as skill-building, self-reflection and making real connections with each other.

COHERENT CROW CAMP happens at Room 203 inside the Old Central School, downtown Grand Rapids, from July 28th to August 1st.

Over the week spent working with Fire in the Village artists, Crow Campers will prepare a night of sharing in Room 203, presenting their art projects to family and friends at the First Friday Art Walk!

Coherent Crow Camp youth art sharing will happen August 1st from 4-7PM.

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Middle school kids ages 11 - 15 are invited to join Fire in the Village for COHERENT CROW CAMP, a week of art-making and empowerment!

Crow Campers will try printmaking (patches,‘zines, posters), poetry, songwriting, music, D.I.Y. fashion, journaling and photography — as well as skill-building, self-reflection and making real connections with each other.

COHERENT CROW CAMP happens at Room 203 inside the Old Central School, downtown Grand Rapids, from July 28th to August 1st.

Over the week spent working with Fire in the Village artists, Crow Campers will prepare a night of sharing in Room 203, presenting their art projects to family and friends at the First Friday Art Walk!

Coherent Crow Camp youth art sharing will happen August 1st from 4-7PM.

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Middle school kids ages 11 - 15 are invited to join Fire in the Village for COHERENT CROW CAMP, a week of art-making and empowerment!

Crow Campers will try printmaking (patches,‘zines, posters), poetry, songwriting, music, D.I.Y. fashion, journaling and photography — as well as skill-building, self-reflection and making real connections with each other.

COHERENT CROW CAMP happens at Room 203 inside the Old Central School, downtown Grand Rapids, from July 28th to August 1st.

Over the week spent working with Fire in the Village artists, Crow Campers will prepare a night of sharing in Room 203, presenting their art projects to family and friends at the First Friday Art Walk!

Coherent Crow Camp youth art sharing will happen August 1st from 4-7PM.

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Middle school kids ages 11 - 15 are invited to join Fire in the Village for COHERENT CROW CAMP, a week of art-making and empowerment!

Crow Campers will try printmaking (patches,‘zines, posters), poetry, songwriting, music, D.I.Y. fashion, journaling and photography — as well as skill-building, self-reflection and making real connections with each other.

COHERENT CROW CAMP happens at Room 203 inside the Old Central School, downtown Grand Rapids, from July 28th to August 1st.

Over the week spent working with Fire in the Village artists, Crow Campers will prepare a night of sharing in Room 203, presenting their art projects to family and friends at the First Friday Art Walk!

Coherent Crow Camp youth art sharing will happen August 1st from 4-7PM.

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Middle school kids ages 11 - 15 are invited to join Fire in the Village for COHERENT CROW CAMP, a week of art-making and empowerment!

Crow Campers will try printmaking (patches,‘zines, posters), poetry, songwriting, music, D.I.Y. fashion, journaling and photography — as well as skill-building, self-reflection and making real connections with each other.

COHERENT CROW CAMP happens at Room 203 inside the Old Central School, downtown Grand Rapids, from July 28th to August 1st.

Over the week spent working with Fire in the Village artists, Crow Campers will prepare a night of sharing in Room 203, presenting their art projects to family and friends at the First Friday Art Walk!

Coherent Crow Camp youth art sharing will happen August 1st from 4-7PM.

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Small town. Big sound. Don't miss out on all the fun at Aitkin’s Riverboat Heritage Days!

Aitkin’s riverboat era dates to the late 1800s when steamboats like the Andy Gibson began weekly trips between Aitkin and Grand Rapids, transporting passengers and freight (up to 100 tons!) along the Mississippi River frontage of town.

What was originally a nod to nostalgic riverboat life has grown into a full weekend of events, including a parade, music, car shows, duck races, vendor fairs, and more community events.

Grand Rapids Arts presents a summer concert series during the First Friday Art Walk in downtown Grand Rapids. Concerts will be held from June - September 2025 in the heart of downtown. These events are free and open to the public and feature local musicians performing in genres from folk and rock to choral and classical. The audience is encouraged to bring their own chairs or blankets to set up on the lawn.

August 1 will feature the Third Coast Chamber Collective with a unique blend of contemporary and traditional classical music.

Small town. Big sound. Don't miss out on all the fun at Aitkin’s Riverboat Heritage Days!

Aitkin’s riverboat era dates to the late 1800s when steamboats like the Andy Gibson began weekly trips between Aitkin and Grand Rapids, transporting passengers and freight (up to 100 tons!) along the Mississippi River frontage of town.

What was originally a nod to nostalgic riverboat life has grown into a full weekend of events, including a parade, music, car shows, duck races, vendor fairs, and more community events.

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

The Minnesota State Old Time Fiddle Championships is certified by the National Old Time Fiddle Association, and the winner of each age division qualifies to participate in the National Old Time Fiddle Championships.

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

The Individual Artist Equity program provides up to $4,000 to individual artists who are Black, Indigenous, People of Color, People with Disabilities, people over 65, military veterans, and/or Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual/Agender, Two-Spirit (LGBTQIA2+). Historically, these people and their voices have been oppressed, unseen, and unheard. ARAC seeks to raise these voices up.

Operating Support is intended for overall arts organization operations, continuing or expanding programming, and arts activities. This program offers annual operating support of up to $15,000 for nonprofit arts organizations located in the Arrowhead region of Minnesota.

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Enter the world of watercolor with instructor Linnaea Borealis Rose. Through this 4-week course, you will learn the basics of watercolor—perfect for brand-new beginners or artists looking to strengthen their fundamentals. Supply list for paper and paints will be provided upon registration.

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Minnesota Writers Off the Page: Michelle Filkins, Margret Aldrich, Julie Gard, Jennifer Hopkins & Leslie Miller: What can we discover when we reclaim the term ‘locker room talk’ and the intimate conversations between women in personal spaces? The Minnesota Book Award winning anthology, “Locker Room Talk: Women in Private Spaces,” lays bare some of these conversations shared by women from Minnesota and beyond, demonstrating how women show up and care for each other, and the power of women to create safe and supportive spaces. Join us for a discussion with editors Michelle Filkins and Margret Aldrich, and contributing author and Duluth resident Julie Gard and contributing authors Jennifer Hopkins and Leslie Miller for readings and a conversation about the book. Following the discussion, audience members are invited to participate in a Q&A session, and have further informal conversation with the featured speakers. The café will be open during the event with food and drink available to buy. Copies of “Locker Room Talk: Women in Private Spaces” will available for purchase, and the evening will finish with a book signing.

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Explore “free form” and function with instruction from utilitarian potter and ceramacist Matt Larson. Demonstrations and discussions on practical wheel throwing, profile ribs, altering wheel-thrown vessels, handles (the bridge to the user), and more! Do what inspires you, and take your clay forms to new heights.

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

TCCC celebrates the 5th edition of the Summer Chamber Music Festival with a project titled "It takes Five" presenting five different works and selections for piano quintet and string quintet.

August 16
Edge Center for the Arts
101 2nd Ave., Bigfork, MN
7 PM
TCCC core members: Russian violinist Evgeny Zvonnikov, Paraguayan violist Pedro Oviedo and Polish cellist Magdalena Sas will be joined by guest artists: MN native James Rosamilia, Grand Rapids based violinist Irina Mueller and Japanese pianist Satoko Hayami to present works by three women composers: Grazyna Bacewicz, Ethel Smyth and Amy Beach, and a beloved cello quintet Franz Schubert.

August 17
Kiesler Wellness Center
3130 SE 2nd Ave., Grand Rapids, MN
6 PM
TCCC core quartet, including Russian violinist Natalia Korenchuk, will present the magnificent Piano Quintet by Johannes Brahms along with a pre-concert talk by Grand Rapids based musicologist Tom Nelson.

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

TCCC celebrates the 5th edition of the Summer Chamber Music Festival with a project titled "It takes Five" presenting five different works and selections for piano quintet and string quintet.

August 16
Edge Center for the Arts
101 2nd Ave., Bigfork, MN
7 PM
TCCC core members: Russian violinist Evgeny Zvonnikov, Paraguayan violist Pedro Oviedo and Polish cellist Magdalena Sas will be joined by guest artists: MN native James Rosamilia, Grand Rapids based violinist Irina Mueller and Japanese pianist Satoko Hayami to present works by three women composers: Grazyna Bacewicz, Ethel Smyth and Amy Beach, and a beloved cello quintet Franz Schubert.

August 17
Kiesler Wellness Center
3130 SE 2nd Ave., Grand Rapids, MN
6 PM
TCCC core quartet, including Russian violinist Natalia Korenchuk, will present the magnificent Piano Quintet by Johannes Brahms along with a pre-concert talk by Grand Rapids based musicologist Tom Nelson.

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

The ARAC Board is responsible for setting and overseeing policy and setting strategic direction for the organization.

Board Meeting Dates:

August 21, 2025

November 20, 2025

February 19, 2026

May 21, 2026

Business meetings and orientation are from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. All business meetings take place over Zoom and are conducted in the spirit of the Open Meeting Law. Prior to each board meeting, board members receive important materials related to decisions and discussions for the meeting which can include financials, staff reports, panel funding recommendations, and any other items that require Board action.

All board meeting dates are open to the public unless otherwise stated. Meetings are held electronically.
To receive login information please email info@aracouncil.org

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

Aaron Kloss hopes to see you at their solo show featuring northern lights paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium.

On View: June 10 – September 1

Funding for this show is provided through an ARAC Individual Artist Project Grant

ARAC’s office will be closed today in observance of Labor Day.

Please email info@aracouncil.org with any questions while we’re away.

Join Anne-Marie Erickson for a book launch of her book, In the Evening, We’ll Dance, on Thursday, September 4, 2025, from 7–8:30 PM

In the Evening, We’ll Dance is a memoir in essays on love and dementia.

ABOUT THE BOOK

“We have waited a long time for a writer to bring light and a literary sensibility to the experience of loving and living through dementia. In the Evening, We’ll Dance: A Memoir in Essays on Love & Dementia is honest, important, gorgeously written, and a pleasure to read. Anne-Marie Erickson, ever curious about her husband’s changing consciousness, learns with her journalist husband a new lexicon with which to share his shifting reality. To this, Erickson adds a framework of myth, fairytale, photography, and art to give us an entirely original view of lifelong love. It widens the paradigm. It enlivens the spirit.”

— Patricia Weaver Francisco, author of Telling: A Memoir of Rape and Recovery

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anne-Marie Erickson was born in the western Minnesota prairie town of Benson, the granddaughter of Norwegian immigrants. She attended Augsburg College in Minneapolis, where she earned a B.A. in American Studies. Following a move to northern Minnesota, she received an M.A. in English from Bemidji State University. For many years, she was a freelance writer. Her journalism, poetry, essays, and book reviews have appeared in regional publications; this is her first book. She taught English at Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and Mangold Institute in Madrid, Spain. She has received support from the Minnesota State Arts Board, as well as the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council. She currently writes, reads, gardens, and enjoys the lakes, walking paths, music, and visual arts available in Grand Rapids.

This project was supported by an Individual Artist Project Grant.

Grand Rapids Arts presents a summer concert series during the First Friday Art Walk in downtown Grand Rapids. Concerts will be held from June - September 2025 in the heart of downtown. These events are free and open to the public and feature local musicians performing in genres from folk and rock to choral and classical. The audience is encouraged to bring their own chairs or blankets to set up on the lawn.

September 5 will feature Greg Kaczor on guitar and vocals with a crowd-pleasing mix of rock, folk, and blues hits.

Plein Air for Beginners with Linnaea Borealis Rose (First session of four)

Paint outdoors with DAI instructor Linnaea at Enger Park, Chester Park, and Lincoln Park. This beginner’s course is designed to get beginners started outside in a casual environment. Painters will learn the logistics of planning watercolor outside, rain or shine.

$215 Members ($245 Non-Members)

Other Session Dates:
September 8, 15, 29, and Oct 6

Creative Writing: Point of View
September 10, 2025
6-8 p.m.
Point of view (POV) is often a question of camera angle (Wide shots or close-ups?) and access (How many characters’ thoughts can we and should we present to the reader?). You'll also want to consider reliability, objectivity, distance, and audience. We'll review the different types of POVs and their variations, and exercises will let you experiment with different forms to learn which one is the best POV for your novel or short story.

Operating Support is intended for overall arts organization operations, continuing or expanding programming, and arts activities. This program offers annual operating support of up to $15,000 for nonprofit arts organizations located in the Arrowhead region of Minnesota.

The Individual Artist Equity program provides up to $4,000 to individual artists who are Black, Indigenous, People of Color, People with Disabilities, people over 65, military veterans, and/or Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual/Agender, Two-Spirit (LGBTQIA2+). Historically, these people and their voices have been oppressed, unseen, and unheard. ARAC seeks to raise these voices up.

Plein Air for Beginners with Linnaea Borealis Rose (First session of four)

Paint outdoors with DAI instructor Linnaea at Enger Park, Chester Park, and Lincoln Park. This beginner’s course is designed to get beginners started outside in a casual environment. Painters will learn the logistics of planning watercolor outside, rain or shine.

$215 Members ($245 Non-Members)

Other Session Dates:
September 8, 15, 29, and Oct 6

Join Anne-Marie Erickson for an author talk of her book, In the Evening, We’ll Dance, on Thursday, September 25, 2025, at 7 PM

In the Evening, We’ll Dance is a memoir in essays on love and dementia.

ABOUT THE BOOK

“We have waited a long time for a writer to bring light and a literary sensibility to the experience of loving and living through dementia. In the Evening, We’ll Dance: A Memoir in Essays on Love & Dementia is honest, important, gorgeously written, and a pleasure to read. Anne-Marie Erickson, ever curious about her husband’s changing consciousness, learns with her journalist husband a new lexicon with which to share his shifting reality. To this, Erickson adds a framework of myth, fairytale, photography, and art to give us an entirely original view of lifelong love. It widens the paradigm. It enlivens the spirit.”

— Patricia Weaver Francisco, author of Telling: A Memoir of Rape and Recovery

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anne-Marie Erickson was born in the western Minnesota prairie town of Benson, the granddaughter of Norwegian immigrants. She attended Augsburg College in Minneapolis, where she earned a B.A. in American Studies. Following a move to northern Minnesota, she received an M.A. in English from Bemidji State University. For many years, she was a freelance writer. Her journalism, poetry, essays, and book reviews have appeared in regional publications; this is her first book. She taught English at Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and Mangold Institute in Madrid, Spain. She has received support from the Minnesota State Arts Board, as well as the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council. She currently writes, reads, gardens, and enjoys the lakes, walking paths, music, and visual arts available in Grand Rapids.

This project was supported by an Individual Artist Project Grant.

We will be hosting an unveiling event on September 26th from 2pm - 6pm. There will be music and refreshments. The main artist will be available to talk people through their process and the new mural.

Grand Rapids Players presents the original stage adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby to the Ives Studio Theatre at the Reif Center. In Simon Levy's adaptation, scenes are blurred from one to the next. The production comes at the centennial of the original publishing by this treasured Minnesotan author. The production is directed by John Schroeder.

Grand Rapids Players presents the original stage adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby to the Ives Studio Theatre at the Reif Center. In Simon Levy's adaptation, scenes are blurred from one to the next. The production comes at the centennial of the original publishing by this treasured Minnesotan author. The production is directed by John Schroeder.

Grand Rapids Players presents the original stage adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby to the Ives Studio Theatre at the Reif Center. In Simon Levy's adaptation, scenes are blurred from one to the next. The production comes at the centennial of the original publishing by this treasured Minnesotan author. The production is directed by John Schroeder.

Plein Air for Beginners with Linnaea Borealis Rose (First session of four)

Paint outdoors with DAI instructor Linnaea at Enger Park, Chester Park, and Lincoln Park. This beginner’s course is designed to get beginners started outside in a casual environment. Painters will learn the logistics of planning watercolor outside, rain or shine.

$215 Members ($245 Non-Members)

Other Session Dates:
September 8, 15, 29, and Oct 6

Grand Rapids Players presents the original stage adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby to the Ives Studio Theatre at the Reif Center. In Simon Levy's adaptation, scenes are blurred from one to the next. The production comes at the centennial of the original publishing by this treasured Minnesotan author. The production is directed by John Schroeder.

We invite the community to celebrate the season with a family-friendly gathering of arts and culture. Folks will be treated to a variety of arts activities presented by local artists and volunteers. This may include apple stamping, flower crowns, jump rope making, chalk drawing, paper making, etc.

Funding for this project was provided by the Art Project Grant for Organizations.

Grand Rapids Players presents the original stage adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby to the Ives Studio Theatre at the Reif Center. In Simon Levy's adaptation, scenes are blurred from one to the next. The production comes at the centennial of the original publishing by this treasured Minnesotan author. The production is directed by John Schroeder.

Grand Rapids Players presents the original stage adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby to the Ives Studio Theatre at the Reif Center. In Simon Levy's adaptation, scenes are blurred from one to the next. The production comes at the centennial of the original publishing by this treasured Minnesotan author. The production is directed by John Schroeder.

Plein Air for Beginners with Linnaea Borealis Rose (First session of four)

Paint outdoors with DAI instructor Linnaea at Enger Park, Chester Park, and Lincoln Park. This beginner’s course is designed to get beginners started outside in a casual environment. Painters will learn the logistics of planning watercolor outside, rain or shine.

$215 Members ($245 Non-Members)

Other Session Dates:
September 8, 15, 29, and Oct 6

ARAC’s office will be closed in observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Please email info@aracouncil.org with any questions while we’re away.

Creative Writing: Personal Essay
September 10, 2025
6-8 p.m.
The personal essay shares with readers an interesting, thought-provoking, entertaining, and/or funny experience you’ve had. We’ll identify essay topics by making lists (e.g., hobbies, interests, passions, jobs, places you’ve lived or visited, turning points in your life, and issues you care about). Once you’ve identified your topic, we’ll look at structures to frame your personal essay.

Creative Writing: Personal Essay
November 12, 2025
6-8 p.m.
We'll examine different models for plotting your novel, including the three-act structure, the five part structure, and the “W” method. Come prepared for user-friendly and low-pressure exercises on each model. You will leave this session with a basic outline for your novel idea.

Creative Writing: Novel Subplots
November 19, 2025
6-8 p.m.
A novel’s subplot is a smaller story that runs parallel to the main story. Subplots can raise the stakes, add complexity, explore your novel’s theme from different angles, and create obstacles to resolving the main plot. We’ll look at examples of successful subplots from famous works, and try our hands at outlining subplots thematically linked to our novels’ main plots.

The ARAC Board is responsible for setting and overseeing policy and setting strategic direction for the organization.

Board Meeting Dates:

August 21, 2025

November 20, 2025

February 19, 2026

May 21, 2026

Business meetings and orientation are from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. All business meetings take place over Zoom and are conducted in the spirit of the Open Meeting Law. Prior to each board meeting, board members receive important materials related to decisions and discussions for the meeting which can include financials, staff reports, panel funding recommendations, and any other items that require Board action.

All board meeting dates are open to the public unless otherwise stated. Meetings are held electronically.
To receive login information please email info@aracouncil.org

ARAC’s office will be closed for Thanksgiving.

Please email info@aracouncil.org with any questions.

ARAC’s office will be closed for Thanksgiving.

Please email info@aracouncil.org with any questions.

ARAC’s office will be closed for our winter break from December 22 – 26, 2025.

Please email info@aracouncil.org with any questions.

ARAC’s office will be closed for our winter break from December 22 – 26, 2025.

Please email info@aracouncil.org with any questions.

ARAC’s office will be closed for our winter break from December 22 – 26, 2025.

Please email info@aracouncil.org with any questions.

ARAC’s office will be closed for our winter break from December 22 – 26, 2025.

Please email info@aracouncil.org with any questions.

ARAC’s office will be closed for our winter break from December 22 – 26, 2025.

Please email info@aracouncil.org with any questions.

ARAC’s office will be closed for New Year’s Day.

Please email info@aracouncil.org with any questions while we’re away.

The Art Project program provides funding of up to $5,000 to support relevant, meaningful arts activities with value to the community your organization serves.

This grant provides funding up to $4000 to any adult artists, in any arts discipline at any stage of their career.

The ARAC Board is responsible for setting and overseeing policy and setting strategic direction for the organization.

Board Meeting Dates:

August 21, 2025

November 20, 2025

February 19, 2026

May 21, 2026

Business meetings and orientation are from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. All business meetings take place over Zoom and are conducted in the spirit of the Open Meeting Law. Prior to each board meeting, board members receive important materials related to decisions and discussions for the meeting which can include financials, staff reports, panel funding recommendations, and any other items that require Board action.

All board meeting dates are open to the public unless otherwise stated. Meetings are held electronically.
To receive login information please email info@aracouncil.org

The Art Project program provides funding of up to $5,000 to support relevant, meaningful arts activities with value to the community your organization serves.

This grant provides funding up to $4000 to any adult artists, in any arts discipline at any stage of their career.

The ARAC Board is responsible for setting and overseeing policy and setting strategic direction for the organization.

Board Meeting Dates:

August 21, 2025

November 20, 2025

February 19, 2026

May 21, 2026

Business meetings and orientation are from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. All business meetings take place over Zoom and are conducted in the spirit of the Open Meeting Law. Prior to each board meeting, board members receive important materials related to decisions and discussions for the meeting which can include financials, staff reports, panel funding recommendations, and any other items that require Board action.

All board meeting dates are open to the public unless otherwise stated. Meetings are held electronically.
To receive login information please email info@aracouncil.org