GRAND RAPIDS ART MUSEUM
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Exhibitions
Exhibitions are at the core of the Museum experience, and GRAM is committed to presenting diverse shows of the highest caliber, featuring works of art from national and international artists and institutions, across a wide range of different media and genres. Exhibitions at GRAM are more than simply works of art hanging in the gallery walls -- they are engaging participatory experiences, augmented with artist talks, panel discussions, interactive gallery spaces, electronic publications, and community partnerships. Exhibitions lay the foundation for learning opportunities for all ages, from docent-led tours and art-making in the GRAM Studio, to programming for students and professional development for art teachers.
The arts are integral to the economic backbone and cultural vitality of the city, and GRAM’s exhibitions serve as a valuable community resource, contributing to making West Michigan a desirable place to live, work, and visit.
School Tours and Workshops
The School Tours and Workshops program provides K-12 and college students with docent-guided tours and hands-on studio workshops. Students explore works of art from exhibitions and the Museum’s collection, learn about art techniques in the GRAM Studio, and create art of their own. The tours and workshops support art-integrated learning that strengthens student engagement with core subject areas. Students unleash their creativity and imagination, while also building competencies like critical thinking, analytical skills, and communication. Tour and workshop themes include art and history, formal qualities and elements of art, and the relationship between nature, sustainability, and creativity. A majority of students served through the program are from low-income or geographically underserved school districts.
Language Artists: Weather Wonders
Language Artists: Weather Wonders integrates literacy, science, and the visual arts, through a year-long unit of study that promotes academic and cultural achievement among third grade students. The Museum and Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS) co-created the program in 2010 to strengthen student writing skills. GRPS and GRAM recently updated the award-winning program during the 2020-21 school year. Language Artists retained its primary focus on literacy, while modifying the program curriculum to align with the district’s update English language arts unit of study. GRPS and GRAM also incorporated a new, secondary focus on the study of weather and climate into the program, as part of the district’s third-grade science course. Language Artists centers on artworks from the Museum’s permanent collection that depict the intersection of weather and climate with other subject matter.
Drop-in Studio
The Drop-in Studio is a weekly art making program for people of all ages. Through instruction from GRAM staff and volunteers, participants engage in hands-on art projects in the GRAM Studio, drawing inspiration from the artists, subject matter, and works of art on view at GRAM. The program promotes self-expressive art making and exposes participants to a variety of artistic techniques and art mediums. The Drop-in Studio is offered every Saturday year-round, in addition to extended days and hours during school spring and winter breaks.
Early Learners
GRAM Early Learners promotes kindergarten readiness in children up to the age of five. Through art-integrated learning, children build cognitive, social, and fine and gross motor skills. GRAM partners with several early learning centers, including a longstanding partnership with the downtown Grand Rapids YMCA, and a newer partnership with Head Start for Kent County as part of the Michigan Department of Education’s Great Start Readiness Program for underserved children. GRAM creates art-integrated, hands-on early childhood lesson plans that museum education staff use to teach children during outreach visits and onsite visits at the Museum. All children served by Early Learners are from low- to moderate-income households, and their participation is helping to promote equal access, and prevent disparities in education before they take root.
Summer Art Camps
GRAM Summer Art Camps are immersive, week-long cultural and skill-building experiences for children ages 4 to 15. Instructors use the Museum Collection to introduce children to a diverse range of artists, mediums, and art movements. Campers view and discuss works of art on view at GRAM, learn art techniques from trained instructors, and participate in artmaking projects and problem-solving activities. During each week of camp, children learn from visiting artists, designers, and arts professionals from the community. They teach the children art techniques, discuss their work and the inspiration behind it, and have a dialogue with about how art, creativity, and design play an important role in their careers. At the conclusion of each camp, participants produce an exhibition of the work they created during the week, which is available for families to view on the final day of camp.
Gazing at GRAM
Gazing at GRAM is a therapeutic arts program for people affected by memory loss, such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and traumatic brain injury, in addition to serving cancer patients. The program connects participants to opportunities for intellectual and creative stimulation, through guided tours, discussion, and engagement with exhibitions and select artworks on view. GRAM partners with residential care centers and assisted-living facilities, including Spectrum Health, Clark Retirement Community, and Hope Network, among others.
Through Gazing at GRAM, participants…
• Explore and exchanged ideas about art and artists
• Activate the imagination and think creativity
• Experience intellectual stimulation
• Make connections between personal stories and the world at large
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of students served through School Tours and Workshops program
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Please note: during the pandemic, participation levels declined, as many of our school partners temporarily paused field trips and in-person experiences outside the classroom.
Children served through the early childhood arts program, GRAM Early Learners.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Infants and toddlers, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Early Learners
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Exhibitions
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
GRAM's annual attendance has been impacted by the pandemic, as the Museum's days/hours of operation have been reduced and programming capacities have been lowered.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planHow we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
GRAND RAPIDS ART MUSEUM
Board of directorsas of 01/18/2024
Erin Gravelyn
MillerKnoll
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/19/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.