With a peanut shell-covered floor, a homestyle porch, and an in-house brewery, Founders Brewing Co. (235 Grandville Ave. SW) is a neighborhood bar gone world-class, known for its exceptional beers on tap and friendly, talented wait staff of wood-workers, world travelers, and musicians from local bands like Chance Jones, Paucity, and UV Hippopotamus. 

Try the Breakfast Stout, a seasonal coffee lover’s beer, or the Nemesis, a high gravity mystery beer that changes every year.  My personal favorite is the seasonal Cerise, a malt beer made with Michigan tart cherries.  In honor of ArtPrize, Deli Manager, Justin Golinski, will unveil The Pulled Pork Sandwich with Dirty Bastard BBQ good for lunch break chow-downs or to pair with art viewing 

“It’s not your typical brewery,” claimed Joey Basch, Taproom Manager, Talent Buyer and Beertender.  "When someone sits down at a table, I want them to have an experience that's personal and unique to them."

As Talent Buyer, music buff Joey Basch brings in first-rate crowd-pleasing entertainment on a regular basis. During ArtPrize, viewers can catch The Prospecto Musical Showcase and Sonic Experience during the first week of the event at Founders (event information is in the sidebar).  Also performing at Founders during ArtPrize are A.B! & Coconut Brown, The Northern Skies, Rootstand, The Boogiman Josh Breuer, and The Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra.  

The ArtPrize you'll see

Taproom Manager Mike Dorich selected a “mixed menu” of works this year for the ArtPrize exhibit at Founders.  

"The general feeling about ArtPrize at Founders is awesome," exclaimed Dorich.  "Everyone is very excited for the second year of ArtPrize."

Two of the artists hail from the Founders family. Former employee, Joe Sherry, will display a fiber-optic-lit hand-blown glass pyramid and chandelier entitled "Everything is a Mirror Image.” Dorich will also display his work, “Midnight Blue Ocean Sky,” a vibrant, abstract acrylic painting.

The exhibit will include other works of photography, painting, and sculpture. Aaron Gaertner will show his gelatin silver and digital photography entitled “la vie á Paris,” created from images shot this spring in Paris. Geoffrey Brown’s photography piece, “Rhythms,” invites the viewer to explore elements of motion. David Chapple’s acrylic on canvas, “Flight of Passion,” is a vivid picture of the ultimate tropical setting. “Arranging the Chaos,” a canvas painted with glitter and silver by Aaron Hillebrand, is meant to inspire joy and happiness in the viewer. Lauren Satlowski’s untitled oil on canvas was created for the 2009 BEHR Auto Parts art competition. Finally, Daryl Bruischat’s “SIM” is a landscape created from copper.