Exhibition Dates:
August 24 – October 5 Exhibition
High School Workshops
For more information on the workshops contact Janet Teunis, Executive Director, 616.897.8545
Lowell Arts Gallery Hours
Tuesday thru Friday 10am-6pm
Saturday 12-5pm
Accessibility: LowellArts is accessible to all visitors – whatever their ability. Visitors to our facility can expect a ramped entrance near handicapped parking spots, automatic door exterior door, and wheelchair accessible restrooms. Certified service animals are always welcome. We invite you to contact us in advance of your visit so we can accommodate any special needs.
BEHIND THE EXHIBIT
This exhibit was made possible by a collaboration between the Ferris State University Design Project Center and the West Michigan Graphic Design Archives, housed at the Zhang Legacy Collections Center at Western Michigan University. The Archives makes both digital representations and physical artifacts available to design professionals, educators, students, businesspeople, researchers, and others interested in the rich legacy of graphic design, paper manufacturing, and printing in West Michigan. This exhibit was curated and designed by Ferris State University students. The students are part of the Design Program in the College of Business.
This project is funded in part by Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Learn More
In the spring of 2022, Ferris State University students Mallory Jarrett, Mckinley Krietner, Nathan Nye, Olivia Smith, and Ngan Tang (under the leadership of Alison Popp, associate professor, Design Program College of Business) chose as their senior project to curate and design an exhibit based on the contents of the West Michigan Graphic Design Archives, which has collected examples of innovative and effective graphic design work since the 1940s.
As they reviewed the collection, they settled on “Unexpected Choices” as the central theme of their exhibit. What they found especially intriguing was the nontraditional approaches designers had taken to solving business problems; as graphic design students about to embark into the professional world, they also appreciated the evidence of valuable contributions to businesses’ brands, markets, and profitability. Featuring five design case studies, the exhibit was a finalist in the 2023 SEGD Global Design Awards and is included on their website. It was also on the short list for acceptance in Communication Arts 2023 Design Annual, a highly regarded publication on graphic design.
LowellArts will be providing both exhibit and classroom space. That makes it possible to have typical exhibit hours for community members, special events for design and business professionals, and, workshops for youth in career and technical or traditional education. The exhibit will be open to the public at Lowell Arts from August 24 through October 5, 2024, during which timeframe a panel discussion for the public, including notable design professionals from West Michigan, and in-person workshops for local high school students have been scheduled. A virtual workshop will be fully developed during that time, including video of speakers, exhibit elements, and events. It will then be available to schools from late fall for at least the next several years.
Unexpected Choices gives visibility and the potential for deep engagement with representations of elements of our shared cultural history, as expressed through problem-solving graphic design.
Janet Teunis, Executive Director
Lowell Arts, 223 W Main St. Lowell, MI 49331, 616.897.8545
lowellartsmi.org
