GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Herschell Turner—known for his time as a professional basketball player as well as his passion for serving the Grand Rapids community—is being honored with a special exhibit in Grand Rapids.
Turner passed away on Aug. 13. He was best known for playing for teams like the Syracuse Nationals, Anaheim Amigos and the Harlem Globetrotters. But after his basketball career came to an end in 1968, he became the first director of the Baxter Community Center in Grand Rapids.
The Baxter Community Center was opened in 1969 with the goal of being a "one-stop shop" for the community.
"He wanted it to be a holistic approach, you know, Christian response to human needs, but he wanted it to reach all segments of the community, from adults who needed to finish high school to kids coming in, needing an environment where they could be safe and play," said Larry Harper with the Collins Turner Legacy Committee. "We had daycare, we had dental care, we had community outreach with counseling. It was really a model for what a neighborhood center should be."
In addition to acting as director, Turner taught art to inmates at the Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility for 15 years. His artwork largely centered on historical figures, particularly those addressing social justice issues. He drew from his own experiences living as a Black man in the 1950s and '60s.
Turner wanted his work to have a positive influence on young Black people and focused on drawing positive figures they could relate to.
"He's always captured people that were part of history, whether it was musicians, whether it was the Buffalo Soldiers, the Black cowboys, you know, he tried to capture them in a way that nobody else could capture them," said Harper. "And I think he's done a great job of it. His works are great representations of the Black experience in this country."
The exhibit will feature artwork that people are familiar with, like Turner's portraits of Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King—but it will also highlight some of his never-before-seen artwork.
Turner isn't the only iconic West Michigan artist being recognized by the exhibit. Turner's work will be displayed alongside art from renowned Grand Rapids artist Paul Collins.
Collins was born in Muskegon and worked in West Michigan throughout his life. He later rose to fame, with some of his pieces being known across the nation.
In 1975, Collins became the first Black man to paint a portrait of a U.S. president, when he completed an 18-foot mural of Gerald R. Ford's life and accomplishments. That piece has since been permanently installed in the Gerald R. Ford International Airport.
One of his series, called "The Great Kings of Africa," was used in an Anheuser-Busch ad campaign.
Collins also began a series of historical figures in 1979, highlighting those who fought for human rights. He painted Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks and more. His painting of Harriet Tubman is now used in textbooks, museums and school books.
"(Collins) and Herschell have long been great artists, but they have never done anything collaborative, and this was an opportunity to make that happen. So we embraced it," Harper said.
The committee organizing the exhibition worked on the project for about nine months, Harper said.
The exhibit is being held at Lafontsee Gallery in Grand Rapids. The opening reception is Saturday, Sept. 7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is free for the public to attend. The exhibit will remain open through Sept. 28.