GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It is hard to imagine Grand Rapids without the big, red Calder stabile downtown by City Hall.
But those old enough to remember know "La Grande Vitesse” has only been there for 50 years.
Grand Rapids has celebrated with a Festival of the Arts every year since. This year it starts on June 7. To help commemorate its 50th birthday, the festival is looking back and thanking the people who made it all happen, in particular, Nancy Mulnix Tweddale. She asked Congressman Gerald R. Ford to help get a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and she convinced Calder to make a piece of public art for Grand Rapids.
“All it takes is one individual that has a vision, has a dream and has a passion for bringing something to a community,” says Festival of the Arts executive director David Abbott. “Nancy is that person.”
“I never doubted it,” she says. “It has worked so well for Grand Rapids. I think of the things that have happened to improve the quality of life in this community, that was generated by the art piece. It truly is the heart that beats at the center of our city.”
The 50th Festival of the Arts starts at noon June 7 with events, exhibits and food booths from Calder Plaza to Rosa Parks Circle. Activities continue through 8 p.m. Sunday, June 9.
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