UICA announces Grand Opening

Staff at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts were to announce today their new building at 2 W. Fulton St. officially will open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 25, with a free community open house on July 31.
Rachael Recker of the Grand Rapids Press writes that events for UICA members and artists will be held on July 26. The public can view the space before the open house July 27-30; admission prices will apply.
The art venue will close its longtime home at 41 Sheldon Blvd. on May 14.
“Contemporary art has the remarkable power to help us learn about each other and about our world,” UICA Executive Director Jeff Meeuwsen said in a statement. “I hope that this new facility will increasingly be a space where people can come to slow down, to connect and to be changed in some way.”
Founded in 1977, the UICA will celebrate both its old and new locations with a series of events leading to the closing of its Sheldon doors and the opening of its Fulton location.
Events will include a garage sale June 2-4 and a Moving Day Parade on June 30, which will feature staff and volunteers forming a “human chain” to transfer moving boxes from Sheldon Boulevard to Fulton Street.
The venue will host a variety of opening events at its Gallery on Fulton starting on July 25 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by “The Odd Ball.” The ticketed event will include dinner and live performances.
The party will celebrate the completion of the first phase of its capital campaign, which allows the organization to move into the first three floors of the building.