History of Festival

In 1969, Alexander Calder’s sculpture “La Grande Vitesse” was installed in front of City Hall in downtown Grand Rapids. The National Endowment for the Arts chose Grand Rapids as the first recipient of their public art works initiative nearly 50 years ago with Alexander Calder’s work.

Festival began in 1970 – a grand celebration of the arts in West Michigan, inspired by the 1969 installation of Alexander Calder’s “La Grande Vitesse” (“The Great Swiftness”). From the beginning, the vibrant red stabile served as the backdrop to Festival, as well as a symbol of the City of Grand Rapids.

That first Festival showcased just a few art displays and two performance stages, plus a few food booths.

Over the years, Festival’s popularity grew to include most of downtown Grand Rapids. Families enjoyed local performers at several stages, art shows and activities for families – all free of charge – as well as an assortment of tasty offerings from food booths operated by nonprofit organizations.

Our Future

As we look ahead to the future of Festival, our strategic plan includes ways to:

Broaden our community engagement with emphasis on cultural diversity.
Attract artists and performers who reflect our growing community.
Attract cultural culinary professionals and local restaurants to add to the Festival food scene, while retaining the diverse nonprofit organizations.
Innovate our sources of revenue through creative recognition of sponsors and partnerships.
Increase community engagement and relationships through our website and social media.

Your support helps continue are mission to bring "Art for All".

Thank you!

2024 Festival of the Arts Online Auction

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