Heartside Ministry expands art display space with new gallery inside Downtown Market

As most of the pop-up art galleries created for ArtPrize were taken down last month across the city, a new, permanent gallery was being created at the Grand Rapids Downtown Market. The Downtown Market and Heartside Ministry have partnered to debut a new second floor gallery, expanding the space Heartside artists have to display and sell their artwork.

Previously, artists could sell their work out of Heartside Gallery and Studio, where the work of 45 artists is displayed for sale on every square inch of free wall space as well as shelves and glass cases housing ceramics and fiber arts.

“We’ve had temporary galleries at other venues in the past, and we love our Avenue for the Arts location, but this partnership with the Downtown Market means a whole new audience,” said Zachary Johnson, arts coordinator for Heartside Ministry and curator of the first exhibition at the Market. “It brings a new affirmation for our artists, to get their work out into the world and beyond our walls.”

Heartside Ministry’s art program has been in existence for 23 years, and is a space for anyone who needs quiet time or a release for creative expression to come in and create art. Volunteers staff studio time, and the program is mainly funded through donations and grants, as well as through the sale of the art. The studio receives more than 600 visits to its art sessions every month, and sold over 750 pieces of art last year, which earned Heartside neighbors $16,695.

The current exhibition, titled “Good Thoughts,” features work from two artists – Mike Tate and Martha Fotias. Both Mike and Martha have been creating work at Heartside Ministry for more than sixteen years. When asked his thoughts on making art, Mike commented, “Art magnifies the gift that God gave me. Without it, I’d be sitting around the house. Artists produce good thought; we can make something magically appear with a pencil."

If a visitor wants to buy one of the pieces of art displayed at the Market, they can purchase it directly by bringing it into the Downtown Market office. The Market then returns the full purchase price to Heartside Ministry, which gives 74 percent back to the artist as a profit. The other 26 percent goes toward Michigan’s six percent sales tax and back to Heartside Gallery to help pay for supplies, staff and studio space for the art program. In the first week of the Heartside Gallery extension at the Market, two pieces of art had already been sold with several more inquiries pending.

“We want to ensure everyone in the community feels welcome here at all times and help support them however we can,” said Kate Klemp, development director at the Downtown Market. “In addition to scholarship classes and community events, we want to make our neighbors a part of what’s happening here in a more long-term way.”

The Heartside Gallery extension at the Downtown Market is on the second floor, just west of the administration office and the restrooms, across from the Market’s meeting rooms. The exhibitions will change quarterly, featuring different themes and work from new artists every three months.

For more info or to support Heartside Ministry art programs, visit: http://heartside.org/programs/the-arts/.