I've been a member and patron of the Grand Rapids Art Museum for over 6 years now. It's one of my favorite places to go relax, put down my phone, and be immersed in something else. I've loved the range of collections that the GRAM has worked to showcase. Some of my favorite exhibits have included the Jim Henson and Lee Alexander McQueen collections. The permanent gallery is also something that I find myself coming back to. The museum also keeps things fresh with different events and workshops. I've been lucky to attend several panels and discussions which have all been excellent. You can find hands on makers classes, guest lecturers, movie nights, and even musical acts. I've always loved art museums and am grateful for such a prominent museum in the middle of downtown. I would highly recommend coming here. I actually got engaged here! read more

See all

We popped in on a wintery weekend morning. It was by chance that we found ourselves here. Their current exhibit of Lee Alexander McQueen & Ann Ray: Rendez-Vous was fascinating. It was a walk through time of the friendship and collaboration between the late British designer Lee Alexander McQueen and French photographer Ann Ray. We spent time on each design displayed. So much detail and expression. We ended our exploration of the exhibit by watching the film by Ann Ray. It was a powerful chronical of Lee Alexander McQueen's life in design. We went up and spent time in the permanent collection as well. It was interesting to see the different pieces and displays. One of my favorites was a skyscraper book case. Just a beautiful piece of furniture! This is a worthy stop. read more

See all

I like to support any art museum. This museum, however, seemed really underutilized. The permanent acquisitions floor was well filled and had many different interesting things. The whole second floor was closed. The first floor had very little to see. They had a Lego exhibit which wasn't what I expected. It was a very quick walk thru with some guest pieces. I enjoyed it but we didn't stay long. read more

Grand Rapids Art Museum - Twin PeaksLego exhibit - Art Museums Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

The GRAM! What a delightful and gorgeous art museum! My friends and I came in December and also paid extra on top of our ticket to see the Jim Henson exhibit as well, which was truly the cherry on top! Great exhibit, and then we started from the top of the museum and worked our way down floor by floor. There is so much to see here and so much range in the art they have on display. There's something for everyone's art tastes here I believe and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the entire space. We spent about 1.5 hours here, knowing we had lunch reservations afterwards. This was, for the most part, enough time given the faster clip we were walking at. So if you want to take your time here, I'd highly recommend giving yourself at least 2 hours here! All in all, an absolutely lovely museum. I loved seeing all the local artists represented as well and just loved how beautifully structured, light, and airy this entire museum was - we had a great time! read more

See all

This museum is very small compared to the museums I've gone to. It was nice though. It took me 2 hours to get through with wheelchair. The first floor had a small exhibit, second floor had some nice things, the 3rd floor is I believe the permanent collection. They had a Lego room which was fun! I took a lot of photos. Not all show here... read more

See all

The GRAM is currently exhibiting The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited until January 14 - I'm so glad we got to experience this massive collection of Jim Henson's works. He is well known for Sesame Street and other Muppets, Fraggle Rock, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, and more - but I was blown away to learn that he also created many commercials, corporate videos, television shows, experimental movies and more. He even had a concept for a nightclub with projections on molded walls that never came to fruition but would still be cool today. He really seemed to be on the cutting edge of technology and seeing some of the photos of sets was very cool. The exhibit was huge, taking up most of the second floor. It was so fun to see some very familiar characters like Kermit the Frog, Count von Count, and Grover. A few of the interactive elements of the exhibit were out of order, but there was so much to see I didn't really care. Admission to the GRAM is only $10 for adults, which I think is incredibly reasonable. The Jim Henson exhibit was an extra $10. I would expect to pay $20 for admission alone at a museum of this caliber, so I was happy to pay this extra fee. We actually went on a Thursday evening, where admission is free, so we just had to pay the $10 for the special exhibit. There was a line out the door, but it moved quickly and efficiently. The other main exhibit was a feature on American sculpture, which I found really interesting and thought-provoking. There's also a Salvador Dali exhibit currently which didn't make me feel any type of way, but that's art for you! We're lucky to have this art museum in the heart of downtown. I always look forward to the exhibits that come through. read more

See all

Reviewers saying this institution isn't on the same level as the Art Institute of Chicago or the Detroit Institute of Arts just aren't getting it - of course it's not! Why would a city of less than 200,00 have an art museum on the same level as a major metropolis with much more of a storied history? Keep your expectations reasonable, folks! As far as the guy saying Muskegon has a better art museum? Ouch, shots fired! I haven't been there but it's seriously punching above it's weight class if Muskegon indeed has a better art museum than Grand Rapids. Let's just say I have a hefty dose of skepticism about that claim. Flint and Toledo might be better though. Both are surprisingly strong and Flint is just so unique. Grand Rapids Art Museum bests both the Orlando and Tampa art museums though. I think maybe Florida needs to have lousy art museums just to prove how unwoke they are or something. Enough of this comparative game though. Let me get to the museum at hand. First of I didn't even know this when I drove out but Tuesdays are free admission which gets major points from me right there. The special exhibit, an awesome Jim Henson retrospective was extra, but that's pretty standard for special exhibits. I'd already seen it at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn the previous year so I opted to skip it, but it's an impressive, fascinating and decidedly non-stuffy exhibition for an art museum so nice use of the second floor there. The first floor is pretty sparse, a large part taken up by a grand atrium, gift shop and an event space I poked my nosy snout into. Nothing doing there on a Tuesday afternoon. There was some gallery space but nothing too earth shaking down there. The third floor was a much better collection. Some Picasso, Calder, N.C. Wyeth, an incredible painting by Lewis Luman Cross ... still didn't take terribly long to take it all in but what did I say about reasonable expectations at the beginning? Unfortunately their Andy Warhol Marilyn Monroe isn't currently on view but I've seen his Marilyns before. A lot of the other art was good but nothing stellar. With a good special exhibit to see you might be able to make more of an afternoon of the place but the permanent collection can be seen in an hour. I might have taken a bit longer but I always give art museums two walk throughs. On the first I don't take any pictures and then on the second I go into shutterbug mode and give stuff I really liked a second look and scan for what I might have missed the first time. So, no, this isn't an epic cosmopolitan big city art museum but it is a decent outpost of culture in Devosland. I had a couple more spots on my docket for the day and I suggest you do the same. And oh, hey, this here is Yelp review 500 for yours truly. I was gonna write a rap about Eminem's Mom's Spaghetti restaurant but it was gimmicky in the most cringe way and enough time had passed to where I need to go back to refresh my memory again. I'm still threatening y'all with the strong possibility it happens. Sigh. I really need to get a life. read more

See all

I have been to the GRAM a few times for various exhibits and events but wanted to check it out again. We went on. Thursday evening for Meijer Free Days (5-8pm) and just had to check in with the front desk. All 3 levels were open and had newer exhibits on the bottom! I thought there was a Lego exhibit but misread the site. There was a lot of cool art and sculptures though so I'd recommend going if you enjoy artwork. Especially on a free entrance day, otherwise $12 per adult isn't too bad. read more

The GRAM is an art museum in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids. It usually costs money to enter except for Tuesdays and Thursday evenings. Save some money and go then. It's three levels with a sizeable store on the first floor. Escalators take you to the two other floors. The building is large, but compared to other museums in other cities, there aren't as many exhibits. Budget one hour. If you're visiting the city, it's worth a visit. read more

The museum looks larger than it is. It is easy to navigate and they have corporate sponsorship for free entry at certain times during the week. My visit featured Maya Lin who also designed the park space in front of the museum. It was a real treat during the summer, Thurs. is music on the lawn in front of the museum. This particular occasion hosted electronic musicians. It was a double hitter that scored a homerun. read more

Grand Rapids Art Museum - Art Museums Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

See all

// The Grand Rapids Art Museum⁣ ⁣ Also known as the GRAM, this museum is located in the heart of GR, just a couple feet away from Rosa Parks Circle! ⁣ ⁣ One of the many reasons to love the GRAM is that they have Meijer Free Days! Tuesday from 10-5pm, and Thursday from 5-9pm are FREE Admission days! Even if you only have a 30 minute gap in your day, go out there and see some amazing pieces for FREEE.⁣ ⁣ Let's talk about some exhibits!⁣ ⁣ Who knows who David Wiesner is? He's a famous children's book illustrator, and 70 of his original watercolors from his books are on display! Including one of my favorites, The Three Pigs. ⁣ ⁣ Another popular exhibit is by Billy Mayer, a Michigan artist! (Woot! Woot!) One of his pieces in the museum features 440 individual skulls! Guys. The mind of an artist is amazing! ⁣ ⁣ read more

Grand Rapids Art Museum - Art Museums Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

So much fun to see interactive parts of the museum! This was a must do on our list while visiting Grand Rapids! read more

Grand Rapids Art Museum - Fun interactive spots!!!! - Art Museums Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Was trying to enjoy the museum with my predominately black group of coworkers when we continuously got harassed by white worker for our $10 stickers to view the Jim Henson Exhibit. We were followed and confronted multiple times, despite having bought and shown our tickets to multiple employees on every level. The Customer Experience Lead, Christa, came to confront us and when we told her about our experience and how awful it has been, she said, "Well it looks like some of your group still managed to enjoy it" and marched off. The micro-aggression coming from multiple workers was exhausting. Will never recommend this racist establishment. read more

Grand Rapids Art Museum - Art Museums Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

The wife and I stopped at GRAM and went through almost all of it in a few hours. This is a good small art museum with special exhibitions. Specifically, we saw the Rube Goldberg exhibit. It necessarily involves a lot of time standing still and reading comic strips, which is hard on the feet and knees standing on a stone floor. But that is expected at museums. The gift shop is okay. It needs more postcards/magnets/items related to the special exhibits. The gift shop failed there- it had a bunch of stuff from old exhibits we did not see. read more

Grand Rapids Art Museum - Art Museums Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

See all

I love Grand Rapids' downtown. It's very walkable with a number of stunning old buildings. The city is known for the modern, too, and right in the middle of it all is the very accessible Grand Rapids Art Museum, the world's first LEED Gold certified art museum. I can imagine working downtown and walking to the museum on my lunch hour. It's a beautiful space. Unfortunately, the permanent collection is rather staid with no strength in any one area. It's not without some interesting works, though. I found myself spending more time with Albrecht Durer woodcuts, a Kaiko Moti lithograph of a tiger, and a Delacroix graphite study of a peasant. My limited math ability had me trying to calculate the hours Adonna Khare spent on her large-scale pencil drawing titled 'Elephant Whirlpool'. There is so much painstaking detail that it's quite overwhelming. Before I left the museum, I paused at John Henry's untitled yellow-painted aluminum sculpture. This humble piece looks incredible in the enclosed outdoor courtyard. read more

See all

We spent a few hours at the GRAM back in mid August viewing "In A New Light: American Impressionism 1870 ‑1940". The exhibit featured 130 pieces from the American Impression movement. We saw beautiful paintings of the American landscape, from the windswept shores of the East Coast to the snow-capped mountains and the brilliant deserts of the West. It was a great way to end a fun day in Grand Rapids. read more

Excellent museum both in terms of the balance and display of the collection but also the architecture and layout of the building itself. Worth a visit for the Calder alone. Good selection of abstract, modern art, American and Michigan artists. Well I guess all Michigan artists are American artists, but I mean there's a good collection of famous American artists, as well as less known local artists. I don't think it's fair to compare GRAM to a world class museum like the Chicago Art Institute, Chicago can be compared to the Hermitage or the Louvre. Instead, for the cost of admission (I don't like the two free days, so much more peaceful on the other days) as compared to the quality of the collection, I'd say this is really a five star experience. Lots of educational programs, which I avoid because I already know it all. Great gift store with some local artist works for sale. read more

Grand Rapids Art Museum - Art Museums Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

See all

My first visit here was my birthday :) So GRAM holds a special place in my heart and I'm glad I waited for a special occasion to visit. Coincidentally, I went on a Tuesday when Admission is FREE! If you have the time to be flexible, you can attend when admission is free or discounted. Otherwise, I'm all for supporting local museums as it is not that expensive and totally WORTH IT (like the Buzzfeed Video ;) GRAM is located in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids. I can't speak to the parking as I walked there but it's surrounded by a variety of restaurants, shops, and great nightlife. It was a sunny summer day when I visited and especially on a less busy Tuesday afternoon. Entering the premise after floating up the grand steps, it was a spacious, bright airy entrance that welcomed me with open artistic arms. I was immediately greeted by the front desk and they got me oriented to the museum. I decided to start on the first floor and work my way up. I was very surprised to actually see the DIVERSITY in the artwork here! I saw Asian and particularly Vietnamese artwork of a lady in a traditional dress, ao dai (Francoise Gilot - Aurelia). It was so touching seeing a piece of my ethnic heritage at the museum. I was also impressed to see a few famous pieces from Warhol (Marilyn Monroe), Picasso (Paloma and Her Doll), Halsman (Portrait of Albert Einstein) ... Local artists were also able to showcase their artwork which is wonderful! First two floors are rotations or special artwork showcases. Third floor is permanent collection. I will definitely be back soon, love supporting local art museums! read more

The 4 stars is based mostly on how impressed I was with the Mirror Variations exhibit- which was very impressive. The remainder of the museum was nice but unfortunately doesn't compare to larger art museum collections that I've visited. This museum would be a perfect stop on a rainy afternoon or as part of checking out the many Grand Rapids museums. read more

Pretty disappointed by the art museum. On the positive side, it's pretty cost effective to go and in a great location downtown. We were in GR for a long weekend and did the art museum with our 3 young kids. At 7, 5 and 3 they have a lot of questions. First the kids got yelled at for standing too close to the art. Let's remember the art is in glass cases. If you want kids to get into art let them enjoy it and ask about stuff. Then we got scolded because they were too loud. After that a few aggressive employees followed us around and stood there watching us. Even in the kids book are on the second floor we were being watched. Typically museums are welcoming to everyone. This wasn't. read more

They sell tickets online. However, you still have to wait in a line that stretches outside and wait to get to the ticket counter to present the tickets you already have. It's pretty silly. read more

GRAM's studio workshops are WONDERFUL! I recently attended a woodcut holiday card making workshop with a friend. It was so much fun! It was a 3-hour guided experience, all supplies provided, and it was guided by the GRAM studio experience manager, Kimberly-- who was in a word, lovely. She led a truly enjoyable experience and I can't wait to attend new workshops in the future! I follow GRAM on social media-- most workshop/studio events are posted on Facebook so it's nice to follow which ones I'm interested in, etc. read more

A top notch collection of art that I wasn't quite expecting. The place is a pretty good size, 2 floors of amazing pieces from well known artists (Picasso, Lautrec, etc) plus a local Michigan Artist Series, and rotating special exhibition like the current Michigan Modern: Design That Shaped America and the past LEGACY: The Emily Fisher Landau Collection which was there when I visited. A fab collection that featured pieces from Andy Warhol, Barbara Kruger and politically charged works from Robert Mapplethorpe, Keith Harring, and others. Really amazing stuff. With ArtPrize in Grand Rapids it makes sense that they would have a great art museum and I can only see it getting better as GR becomes more of a destination for creators and artists. Very exciting! read more

Amazing, beautiful, and thought-provoking artwork. We had a conference at the Amway Grand Plaza and wanted an outing for spouses of attendees. The Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) was the perfect fit. It was only a five minute walk from the Amway Grand Plaza, so no special transportation was required. GRAM assisted us with planning, they were very professional and accommodating. The day of the event they greeted us at the door, effectively handled the payment (even though we had a few last minute attendees), and started us on our tour. The docent was friendly and knowledgeable, she gave us an hour tour tailored to our interests. After the group tour we were able to continue to explore the museum. We were close enough to the Grand Amway Plaza that out group could easily separate and find their way back on their own schedule. Even the museum security staff were patient and kind as our group meandered too close to the artwork. Thank you for a wonderful experience! read more

Grand Rapids Art Museum - Art Museums Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

See all

For a smaller museum in the heart of Grand Rapids I really enjoyed my time here! There's a little something from all genres and it was very easy to break in to a comfortable pace getting through the space to see all it has to offer. When we went it was free to get in since the Art Festival was going on. It turned into a really nice relaxing afternoon. read more

Grand Rapids Art Museum - My favorite painting in the whole place. - Art Museums Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Am afternoon or early evening date at the GRAM is time well spent. My dad used to take my brother and I to the old building (now Kendall's gallery), and at first, I was not a fan of the new modernized museum. It's grown on me though, and I make it a point to stop in every few months to see their rotating exhibits. I also love their intentional collections of local art! #gramlove read more

Grand Rapids Art Museum - The entry. Serene. - Art Museums Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

See all

The interior space and overall design of this building is truly beautiful. The permanent art collection is impressive and there are always new things to experience at the museum. The GRAM has an amazing gift shop, too. Perfect for holiday gift ideas. read more

I need to start by saying I've never been to the big Art museums in NY. However I have been to some in Washington DC and Chicago and plenty of smaller ones throughout Michigan. So I finally get myself to go to my hometown one and what did I think? LAME They could do so much better. The 1st floor was nice it had some art of animals that was decent. the 2nd floor was closed for a new exhibit. The 3rd floor is the main art floor and it was LAME. Some bad scenery, some phots of nobodys done by nobodys that were goodish but not masters. Some sculptures that were dumb, and I love sculptures. Too top it off there really wasn't very much art there period. Save your money, go to Chicago, New York, or DC! GRAM SUCKS in comparison. read more

This is a small but interesting museum. It's not on the same level as the museums in Chicago or Detroit by any means but it's a good place to spend an hour. I went on a Tuesday when it was free. They had a very interesting exhibit on trial tattoos and I love the large pieces in the halls. Worth a stop. read more

GRAM, as its known in Grand Rapids, is a breathtakingly beautiful and new art museum funded (I think) by DeVos money like the rest of the very nice small city. I hear some people complaining that they put their names on everything, but as my friend here puts it, "It's nice to have a couple billionaires in town." DeVos is a ubiquitous name in town but I don't see why anyone cares. This is a charming downtown where new architecture meets old in a tasteful, seamless manner. It's not large and you can easily get through the two floors in an hour. I was disappointed that my phone wasn't charged and that the outstanding museum store (mind-blowing jewelry in the locked up case) didn't sell even ONE book or pamphlet about the permanent collection. This is most frustrating and I have never seen a museum store which sold nary a paper pamphlet describing the collection in any detail. I will come here again next time I visit my friend in Michigan. I didn't run for pen and piece of paper as I expected to buy a book afterward, but I will say some of the sculpture is unusual and profound. "Pensive Woman," I believe, is a bronze sculpture by a German artist labeled a "degenerate" by the Nazis who therefore destroyed most of the work. I also liked the enormous oil painting of the Lower East Side at night by an artist born in 1974 (!?). There was a strange plastic something or other in one room for which I had no use at all and I'm not sure if that was a traveling or permanent part of the collection. Some of the oil paintings by artists my age or a bit older were quite derivative Impressionist stuff. But some were quite good. They feature some local artists I found interesting. The abstract art didn't thrill me but I saw a Motherwell nothing at all like the pieces currently at the Art Institute of Chicago in the "Artist and the Poet" exhibit. I must look up Motherwell as he clearly produced vastly diverse works of art. (I didn't like the one here at GRAM and adored the ones in Chicago.) Rarely have I seen a more beautiful modern structure for any purpose or use. The staircase criss-crosses the back of the museum and I must look up the architect. THIS is what a modern building should look like. I also enjoyed the "branding" exhibit: it seems that companies ranging from AOL to TCBY to Nickelodeon to Comedy Central to the Library of Congress have paid firms a boatload of money to come up with new brands. Everyone here is very friendly but visitors of GRAM have no concept of branding and graphic design as the "votes" (yellow poker chips deposited into plastic cylinders for "before" and "after") were wrong across the board! The new Starbucks, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon are far cleaner. The Library of Congress is iffy but I don't mind the more modern version, which is nowhere NEAR as offensive as the new UCSB logo. This prompted such a wave of outrage that UCSB ditched the new logo and went back to the classic seal from the mid-19th Century. Also worthwhile was the main title section. As an LA girl, I was shocked when a former editor of mine didn't know what a "main title" was. "I didn't grow up in LA, my dear," he said. "Six Feet Under" is a veritable masterpiece in the genre and because it was on HBO (premium cable rather than network), it's longer than the average title. A must-see. (P.S. GR museums are all cheap. Ford was 7. I am not sure what GRAM runs for adults who aren't members, but it's not a lot. I went on April 21st, when all four museums were free.) read more

OK, so they have a Chuck Close near the front entrance, one of my favorite artist (look him up if you don't know anything about him). I was in Grand Rapids on business and I had an hour or two to burn, so I went downtown and visited the GRAM. There wasn't many people in the museum, which was nice, but it was also on a Thursday morning. Its a multi-level place, focusing on regional artists, with more of a post-impressionist to modern collection. Not to many major artists and a nod to the regional furniture business creations. A big focus on the Art Prize contest winner - I wish they had shown more - and autobahn sketches. Surprising the collections were spread out over the 3 floors of galleries. It took about an hour to go thru the entire museum. It look like there were a number of children and public education/learning programs - which is nice. Parking could be tough - it was mostly meter on the street - some where only 1 hour while others around the backside of the building were 2 hours. I guess there was free parking at a city lot - but it wasn't that clear how that work. read more

While I don't consider myself an art buff, I think an expect would appreciate the museum's collection of smaller and lesser known works by famous artists. The building itself is even a work of art; it's an expansive and breathtaking in size yet doesn't overshadow or detract from the older buildings in heart of the downtown area. A flowing layout with huge floor to ceiling windows sets a relaxed, peaceful ambiance inside. The museum store is fabulous, frivolous, fun. They have allot of really enchanting jewelry and funky trinkets for kids and kids at heart. For locals looking for a date night, they offer different evening and weekend events to help you appreciate the museum in a new way. The only thing holding me back from 5 stars is that on all my visits, I wasn't provided a brochure or any sort of guide to the building. I didn't see any sort of 'headphone tour' either. I want to believe they have something as basic as this and I just missed it. In any case, it's an easy walk through the permanent and traveling exhibits and all the pieces have a description by it. I didn't get married here, but the pictures I've seen are gorgeous! I would absolutely recommend it for it's appearance, ambiance, and location for any event, big or small, you are thinking about. read more

It is difficult to review the GRAM. I am personally a fan because I live in Grand Rapids, but this art museum does not compare favorably to others a short drive away like the Detroit Institute of Art Institute of Chicago. The GRAM's high points are the opportunities for free admission on Tuesdays and Thursdays (evening hours). When visited for free, the GRAM is well worth a visit. The permanent collection boasts Calder and Remington sculptures, which I say hello to on every visit. I also like the furniture exhibit and find it apropos in Grand Rapids. The special exhibitions are also top notch (and usually included on free admission days). The building itself is a work of art and I enjoy walking around inside, and hanging out on the steps overlooking Rosa Parks Circle when the weather is nice. I would appreciate the GRAM capitalizing on its beautiful space and creating some sort of cafe to enjoy a nice coffee or snack and extend my visit, or to have lunch during the week (I work just up the block). Of course, more prominent works of art to add to the GRAM's permanent collection would be awesome, too. MoMA or The Met GRAM will never be, but for now, it remains a nice dose of culture for city residents and a potentially worthwhile stop for visitors (check out the special exhibition currently running or drop by for an hour or so on a Tuesday or Thursday). read more

Went here yesterday with the wife. They have lots of amazing things to see. You have to check it out for yourself but it was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. read more

See all

Three stories of great art located in the center of downtown. I couldn't ask for more. A beautiful setup! This place becomes zoo-like during Art Prize, but it's free entry and closes late. They have a coat heck area and a nice museum store at the end. I'd recommend coming here. read more

Art Prize led me here as I wanted to view the exhibit of the winner. It was a 10 minute wait in line and I have to say it was worth it. It was nice to see the permanent collection along with the Art Prize exhibits and they made it fit in real nicely. There was the combination of the older pieces with the new and I liked that. It's not a huge museum, but appropriate for the size of the city. A great way to pass some time and have some introspection. read more

The permanent collection is not very big, but the shows here since the new museum opened have been exciting and intelligent. So far I really liked Avedon, Warhol, Stella and Durer/Rembrandt. They also had a really cool exhibit by local David Lubbers called Seen and Unseen. The museum building is kinda cool. I skip the cafe now after a too many disappointments. read more

We like to go to local art museums when we travel. Sometimes we run into real gems. But not here. Pretty ho-hum over all. I guess if I were a Calder fan, I'd have been excited, but the collection is really dominated by Calder and by a large set of donated prints and etchings. Some of the etchings were quite nice, and by very well-known artists, but I'm not much for etchings either. One recommendation I would have for the museum, would be to have a more complete description of their collection on their webpage. Some museums even have thumbnails of their collection online, which I think is great. read more

LEED certified, cafe overlooking the Rosa Parks ice skating rink, great art and lectures. It's an impressive little museum that packs a punch in the sophistication category. After a delicious lunch of tomato basil soup and gruyere/parm grilled cheese sandwiches ($8), we listened to a visiting professor from Calvin College give an hour discussion on the Dada era leading into and influencing Surrealism with a focus on Calder & Miro - a real treat that was included in our admission. The museum store has a lot of fun and whimsical items that are great for gifts, and the added extras (great lighting, hidden loggias, beautiful modern architecture, and a free coat check), make this a treasure within the city. read more

Not a very big collection, but the building is nice and brand new. There is no drinking fountain, but they taunt your thirstiness with a waterfall and reflecting pool. They made me wear a sticker to show that I was a paying customer (is this a piece of flare or something?). The security guards followed us very closely which was nice when they acted as museum guides and told us about the pieces, but creepy when they just peered around the corners at us. The GRAM does get an extra star for their Free Friday Concert and Event series "GRAM on the Green." You can find more details at their website. http://www.artmuseumgr.org/home/page/GRAM+on+the+Green read more