The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts is holding three events in the upcoming weeks to bring visitors closer to the artwork, the artists, and the collectors associated with their current exhibitions, Buying Friends: The Kortman Collection, and Looking Forward: The Artwork of Kirk Newman.

Contemporary art collectors Ryan Kortman and Ben Gott will talk about why they collect, what they collect, and how, on January 9, from 7 – 9 pm in the UICA galleries. The discussion will be moderated by the Buying Friends exhibition curator, AJ Paschka. The evening will also be the debut of the Buying Friends exhibition catalog, which features photos of the included works, and essays from noted collectors and other Kortman associates. Kortman will be signing the catalog, which will be available for purchase that night.

This event is called Collector’s talk and catalog signing for Buying Friends: The Kortman Collection. It is this Friday, January 9, 2015, 7 – 9 pm at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, 2 Fulton W, downtown Grand Rapids, and admission is Free.

A January 16th tour of the Alchemist Sculpture Foundry in Kalamazoo, MI, with proprietor Brent Harris, will focus on the process behind Kirk Newman’s bronze sculptures. Harris will highlight the steps that made Newman’s work “Children of the World,” from idea to creation. “Children of the World” will be familiar to many West Michigan residents from its home at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Admission is free, but is limited to the first 12 registrants. Attendees can register by calling 616.454.7000 x18.

This event is titled Alchemist Sculpture Foundry tour and talk, and is January 16, 2015, 7 – 9 pm, at 436 N Park St., Kalamazoo, MI, 49007
Admission is Free, but limited to the first 12 people to register. RSVP at 616.454-7000 x18.

Gallery-goers get a last chance for an inside view of Looking Forward: The Artwork of Kirk Newman on February 6, when UICA will host a collector’s talk featuring Newman’s lifetime friend and collector of his work, Chris Markin. Exhibition curator AJ Paschka will moderate this discussion of Newman’s body of work in the context of his life and times, with insights and stories of Newman’s career, interactions with other artists, and supporters of his work. In addition, several of the works in the show will be sold that night via silent auction. This retrospective exhibition closes on February 8.

This event is called Collector’s talk and silent auction for Looking Forward: The Artwork of Kirk Newman. It will be held February 6, 2015, 7 – 8 pm at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, and admission is Free!

For information on all of these exhibits, call 616-454-7000 or go to uica.org

 

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