Grand Rapids Public Museum

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Grand Rapids Public Museum The Grand Rapids Public Museum celebrates the cultural and natural history of West Michigan
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The Grand Rapids Public Museum's Mission Statement:

We exist to be a living monument of artifacts, ideas and stories told through exhibitions, events and educational programming designed to inspire, motivate and celebrate our human bond. We enrich the life of our community through experiences of the wider world in a uniquely Grand Rapids context.

🌌 🔭 What is it like to be an astronomer? Dr. Michael West knows! Register for free for a special talk with Dr. West abou...
10/16/2026

🌌 🔭 What is it like to be an astronomer? Dr. Michael West knows! Register for free for a special talk with Dr. West about his career highlights, fascinating stories, and how it all began.

📆 Thursday, October 22, 2026 | 7:30 p.m.
📍 Meijer Theater, Grand Rapids Public Museum, 272 Pearl St. NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504
🎟️ Free with registration

Dr. West has explored the universe, mapping vast cosmic structures and studying cannibal galaxies. He has worked with some of the world’s largest telescopes, including the Hubble Space Telescope. For the past decade, he's been part of a team at Lowell Observatory bringing science, education, and public outreach together.

Register now at https://bit.ly/4ynT4A4

Presented and underwritten by the GRPM, the Great Lakes Planetarium Association - GLPA, and the Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association

Tomorrow, October 15, the GRPM is welcoming over 1000 students, teachers, and chaperones for the first Anishinaabe Cultu...
10/14/2026

Tomorrow, October 15, the GRPM is welcoming over 1000 students, teachers, and chaperones for the first Anishinaabe Culture Day since reopening Anishinaabek: The Original People of This Place! 🪶

Community members are welcome to join and explore partner tables in the first-floor Galleria. Expect vendors, activities, and demonstrations. We'll also have limited tickets available for the Planetarium show, Anishinaabe Star Knowledge, throughout the day!

We'll also be hosting several special experiences reserved for school groups, including drumming and dancing performances, a corn-husk doll workshop, and hands-on experiences with traditional materials and artifacts.

We can't wait to welcome our Anishinaabe partners and students for a fun day of sharing knowledge and cultural immersion.

Learn more about the new exhibit at https://www.grpm.org/anishinaabek/

10/14/2026

For 25 years, the Grand Rapids Public Museum Archives has kept more than 250,000 artifacts and specimens safe. Now, they’re open to the public.

Take a look with the Museum's Chief Curator, Alex Forist, and O-A-K's on-site project superintendent, Trevor Anderson. The space features two new classrooms, including an artifact lab classroom with direct access into the archives. Thank you to the museum, the The City of Grand Rapids, and every partner who helped bring Grand Rapids history closer to the people who made it.

Get the full story here: https://www.owen-ames-kimball.com/stories/grand-rapids-archives-now-open

We’re honored to sponsor Invest in Ability 2026 with Disability Advocates of Kent County! Creating a more accessible and...
10/13/2026

We’re honored to sponsor Invest in Ability 2026 with Disability Advocates of Kent County!

Creating a more accessible and inclusive community takes all of u, and we’re proud to support the work happening across West Michigan.

Learn more about Invest in Ability 2026: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/dakc/event/iia2026/

On Saturday, we hosted the Anishinaabek: The Original People of This Place Grand Opening PowWow. This public celebration...
10/13/2026

On Saturday, we hosted the Anishinaabek: The Original People of This Place Grand Opening PowWow. This public celebration offered an early preview of the exhibit, along with singing, dancing, drumming, and food and art vendors.

Miigwetch (thank you) to all who joined us. We look forward to welcoming a new generation of visitors to learn about Anishinaabe culture, tradition, and language from Anishinaabe voices here at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

And miigwetch to the head staff of this PowWow.

Invited Drums: Ribbontown, Iron Bear, Sharp Feather
MC: Shannon Marton
Arena Director: Mike Medewis
Head Adult Male Dancer: Loren Warner
Head Adult Female Dancer: Diana Pitawanakwat
Head Junior Male Dancer: Moises Juan
Head Junior Female Dancer: Birdie Ives
Head Veteran: George Martin

Learn more about the exhibit at https://www.grpm.org/anishinaabek/

Biindigen! Welcome! The reimagined Anishinaabek: The Original People of This Place is officially open. 💛 ❤️ 🖤 🤍 Learn di...
10/12/2026

Biindigen! Welcome! The reimagined Anishinaabek: The Original People of This Place is officially open. 💛 ❤️ 🖤 🤍

Learn directly from Anishinaabe voices about the language, traditions, experiences, and artistry of this thriving community's past, present, and future.

This exhibit features two cutting-edge technologies working together to tell stories in a way never before seen in Museums, and hands-on multi-sensory interactives for all ages.

Miigwetch (thank you) to the countless people who made this exhibit possible, and our sponsors: Bay Mills Indian Community, Michigan Arts and Culture Council, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Wege Foundation.

Learn more about this exhibit at https://www.grpm.org/anishinaabek/

💛 ❤️ 🖤 🤍 Tomorrow is the day! We're celebrating the reimagined Anishinaabek: The Original People of This Place exhibit ...
10/09/2026

💛 ❤️ 🖤 🤍 Tomorrow is the day! We're celebrating the reimagined Anishinaabek: The Original People of This Place exhibit with a PowWow and exhibit preview this Saturday, October 10, before the official opening on Monday, October 12.

Here's a run of show for the day:

12:00 p.m. | Vendors will arrive. Come shop with us during the day!
4:00 p.m. | Doors will close for set-up
5:00 p.m. | Seed minomin (wild rice) with Kara Wilson, Minomin Chief, and Gun Lake Potawatomi on the Grand River. Access the riverfront through Lacks Park by the Blue Bridge!
5:30 p.m. | Doors open!
6:00 p.m. | PowWow begins with dancing, drumming, and singing. Shop artists and food vendors and see the exhibit for the first time!
9:00 p.m. | Event ends.

Haven't registered? Visit https://www.grpm.org/powwow/

MastoDON'T Forget to Vote YES to RENEW!The Zoo & Museum Millage helps preserve more than 250,000 world artifacts and spe...
10/09/2026

MastoDON'T Forget to Vote YES to RENEW!

The Zoo & Museum Millage helps preserve more than 250,000 world artifacts and specimens while making educational and cultural experiences accessible to all ages.

Election Day will be here before you know it. Make sure your voice is heard and help protect the stories, history and discoveries that connect our community.

Vote YES to RENEW the Zoo & Museum Millage on November 3.

Address

272 Pearl Street NW
Grand Rapids, MI
49504

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+16169291700

Website

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