Mary and I had been hard at work in the gallery for a week by the time the visiting artists arrived on Wednesday. Thanks to the talented gallery staff, we had finished installing the work to open the show that day, and were just putting on the finishing touches by the late afternoon. We welcomed Heather Kai Smith who flew in from London, Aliya Bonar from New York City, and Elodie Goupil and Amanda Kennedy who arrived on a flight together from Oakland, California. The crew kicked it off with a karaoke party at Kale's Korner, my favorite Grand Rapids bar that also happens to be within safe walking distance of my house. After our first slumber party at my place, the gang had breakfast at The Westside Cafe and headed to the gallery to see the show. Aliya's project involved gathering volunteers to perform in her costumes that night, and she spent most of the day working with Alyssa Natoci, her in-town liaison for the piece. The other visiting artists made the rounds at Grand Rapids thrift stores to get new digs for the opening reception. The opening at The Fed Galleries began at five-thirty, and more past residents rolled in; Brian Perkins from Seattle, Amanda Matles from New York, and Michelle Murphy from Chicago. Of course, our local past residents, Alex DiFiglia and Marlee Grace were in attendance, and all of our friends came out for the show clad in jean jackets.
Pentwater musician, Frank Galante, played his experimental guitar sounds while performers reacted to Aliya’s costumes that they wore. Her “anti-power suits”, are each named after uncomfortable feelings, and when worn, that feeling is embodied in the movements each restrictive costume allows.​

Friday morning, after recovering from the reception afterparty, all of the visiting artists regrouped at Maggie's Kitchen for breakfast tacos. Carpools formed and bedding and beach bags were packed up, and the caravan to Pentwater began. We drove straight to the State Park Lake Michigan beach, to spread out in the glorious sunny day, share snacks and stories, and take quick dips in the cold lake. Early in the evening, we headed into town, to enjoy a reception for the visiting artists and Pentwater locals, bringing together past and present friends of the studio. Diana the snackmaster arranged for a delicious spread as always, with the help of The Wishing Well and Chris Hammock, who hosted us in her painting studio across from the Village Green. Little did we expect to experience an epic concert of classic and alt rock covers from the band The Oceana MVPs, playing at the gazebo on the green.  Past resident artist Nick Lally joined us from Madison, Wisconsin, along with more friends who didn’t want to miss out on a weekend up North. After the sun had set and we waited out a burst of rain, the group tucked in for the night at Shared Space, carving out beds in the bunkhouse and the front room.

Saturday was a day full of field trips, beginning with the town-wide garage sale in Pentwater. The 43rd Annual National Apsaragus Festival was happening in Hart, and we made sure to catch the Royal Parade, deep fried asparagus, and a performance by the famous Scottville Clown Band. Our next stop was Ludington, for the town’s attempt to break the Guiness World Record for longest ice cream dessert. The House of Flavors provided ice cream for this half-mile sundae that had to serve at least six-thousand people with 12,700 scoops of Ice cream, 800 pounds of chocolate syrup, 600 cans of whipped cream, and of course, 2,000 Michigan maraschino cherries. 

After a long production, where they had to get an official witness to confirm each step, everyone got their fill of sundae and got out of town. We made it back to Pentwater with enough time to picnic on Pat and Diana’s porch at Pentwater Lake, before piling aboard a borrowed pontoon for a sunset cruise. It was a perfect night, and we kept the good times going back at the studio with a campfire in the meadow homestead. Buzzing with conversation, we stayed up until the firewood ran out.

We invited all of our 34 past resident artists to show their most exciting work in a big, beautiful gallery in downtown Grand Rapids. After months of planning, we have 28 stellar artists in the show with work that runs the gamut from video loops, to performative costumes, to geometric wall pieces, to framed photographs, to paintings and projections. As a collection, the body of work formed and performed within this space is complex and unique. This exhibition brings together this diverse group and showcases the spirit of collaboration and creative placemaking. Honoring the studio itself, and the town of Pentwater, The Land of Here and Now includes a re-creation of the studio space plastered in contributions left by all past residents, and a work space for co-facilitators Eliza and Mary. In the tradition of including the public in our process, there will be performance and interactive programming for the run of the show, from June 9th to July 23rd, 2016.

The Land of Here and Now is a title borrowed from our favorite local folk hero, Swift Lathers. Lathers (1889-1970) wrote and published the worlds smallest weekly newspaper for 40 years, homesteaded in the Silver Lake Dunes, and was famous for hitchhiking everywhere he went and wearing a peculiar outfit every day. The Land of Here and Now is the title of his fifth book, which was known to be published, but all copies have since been lost to time.