I first heard about the Beerhorst family from Joey. He lived near them last year, and he mentioned that they were artists. We both went to their family art show, and discovered the great things that they’re doing. Last week, I had the chance to talk to Rose Beerhorst about her art. Rose has been doing fiber arts since she was thirteen. Having parents who are artists showed her that it’s possible to make a living from art, which she’s been doing since October 2011. Rose is very involved in the arts community in Grand Rapids. She says that the scene is really opening up here, and that things people have been working on are gaining traction. Rose has participated ArtPrize for the past four years, most recently with Perspective Lifters, a site-specific installation at MadCap Coffee. Rose said that this year was different from past years of ArtPrize, because her piece was in a business, and a business that has an aesthetic different from her own. If you’ve ever been inside MadCap, you’ve noticed that they’re very modern and polished, but Rose’s aesthetic is a little more handmade, more recycled and repurposed. The exhibit went very well, and I’ll be interested to see what they come up with next year.
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| Photo by Rose Beerhorst |
I’m always interested in people’s plans for the future, so I made sure to ask Rose about what she’s looking forward to doing. She said that she’s planning on opening a new studio space soon. Rose currently has a studio space that she shares with other artists, but her new studio space will probably be a storefront and have space for workshops. That seems like a great idea to me, it seems like it would be a fantastic opportunity to have a space for sharing skills and teach others. Rose also mentioned that she’s learning how to make clothes, and that she plans on starting a line of activewear. Her activewear would be made out of repurposed materials, and it would avoid the “Space-Age” look that you sometimes see with sports clothes. I think that’s great, and I’ll be interested to see where Rose takes her work in the future.
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| Photo by Rose Beerhorst |
Rose Beerhorst will be selling her work at the UICA Holiday Artists’ Market this weekend. It’s happening on Friday, November 30 from 5-9 pm, and Saturday, December 1 from 10 am to 7 pm. Go there! Support some artists!
