A Beautiful Legacy

If you ask the students at the Cook Art Center what's their favorite class, many will say pottery. One reason behind that answer is because of the inspiration they receive from pottery studio manager and instructor Madeline Kaczmarczyk. 

After nine-plus years of running the Wege Foundation Pottery Studio, Madeline will soon be retiring. Over the years she has contributed in numerous ways to the Cook Arts Center, to her students, and to the Grandville neighborhood. As an instructor, Ms. Madeline, as her pupils refer to her, gives pottery students confidence, knowledge, and pride in their community. “She makes me feel good, like I can do anything, and she never lets me give up,” said Esmeralda, a student from the open pottery studio.

With infinite patience and gentle guidance, Madeline teaches children, teens, and adults alike the art of pottery. She has a way of making students feel stronger, not just in their clay abilities but in who they are. Madeline makes everyone feel comfortable and welcome and has a genuine interest in their lives. “I have seen students thrive and learn how to freely express themselves,” said Steffanie Rosalez, Program Director of the Cook Art Center. “I have witnessed them grow not only as artists but as people with Madeline as an instructor and a mentor."

Every year for Día del Sol Madeline, with the help of her students, creates masterpieces for the silent auction. The pieces have attracted many people and donations to GAAH. The vases or bowls she makes with the students are works of art you are unlikely to find anywhere else, for they have the details of a master potter and the whimsy of a child’s hand.

Several years ago Madeline approached Executive Director Marjorie Kuipers with the idea of creating a mosaic mural at the Cook Arts Center. “As a child my father would take me to the Detroit Public Library, and I was fascinated by the ceramic tile piece that was created by Mary Stratton of Pewabic Pottery,” explained Madeline. “I wanted children in the Grandville Avenue neighborhood to find inspiration just like I did.”

A Reflection Of Us is now a permanent fixture in the lobby of the Cook Arts Center. This beautiful mosaic mural expresses the diversity of the art, the people, and the culture of the Grandville Avenue neighborhood.  “I cannot think of a more fitting legacy for Madeline,” said Kuipers. “This exquisite work of art is a tribute to her unparalleled skill as an artist and a teacher, and it will inspire children, teens, and adults for years to come.”

Madeline is an adjunct Assistant Professor of Art at Aquinas College, a position she's held for the last sixteen years. She has created pottery for over 40 years, has won numerous awards, and was even on the cover of Pottery Magazine. She is married to fellow potter Jerry Berta, has two children, and is a proud grandmother. Their children, Amy and Zach, spent a great deal of time in their parents’ clay studio. Both went on to become scientists, and Madeline credits early exposure to the arts with their ability to be creative problem-solvers in their careers.

The primary reason Madeline will be leaving the Cook Art Center is to concentrate on her own work. She often has pottery at Festival of the Arts, ArtPrize, and several summer art shows all over the state. In the meantime, Madeline is preparing her students for the transition. “I’ll miss Ms. Madeline and I’m sad she’s leaving,” said Crystal, “but I am looking forward to getting to know our new teacher.” We have Madeline to thank for instilling in her students a positive attitude about this big change at the Cook Arts Center.

                                  Family Pottery Class

GAAH's Dynamic Duo

Sue Garza, Director of the Cook Library Center, was recently honored by Family Futures with the Christine Nelson Professional Award for her tireless work on behalf of children and families in the Grandville Avenue neighborhood.

Sue was nominated for this award by another tireless neighborhood advocate—Steffanie Rosalez, the Cook Arts Center’s Program Director. Steffanie’s nomination letter is a beautiful summary of Sue’s essential work in the community as well as a testament to their mutual respect and strong partnership. Here is that letter:

I am writing this letter to nominate my colleague, Sue Garza, for the Christine Nelson Professional Award. Through her work as Director of the Cook Library Center, Sue has been instrumental in providing a safe and welcoming space for youth and families in the Grandville Avenue neighborhood for almost ten years. Even more importantly, Sue has a passion for empowering and serving others, and that passion pushes her to go above and beyond just being an advocate for youth in her profession – she is a genuine force for equality and education in her everyday life. 

Sue’s daily professional activities include an incredibly wide range of programs and services that allow children and families to have access to opportunities and education. She implements and directs the typical library services that you’d expect, but not in a way that a normal “librarian” would. When children and families come in and need access to resources, Sue will provide the typical services one might need (books, computers, help finding information), but then on top of that she allows families to utilize her as a resource. She is always willing to sit side by side with individuals to help them apply for jobs, learn to read, get their homework done, and in any way she possibly can help them reach their full potential.

Sue also oversees all of the Cook Library Center’s programs, including Cook Library Scholars, Cook Library Achievers, English as a Second Language (ESL) and literacy classes, Juego en Español (a program for families with young toddlers to speak in English and Spanish together), drop-in homework help, and more. Sue is at the helm, leading all of these programs that are designed to support youth and their families in a holistic and genuine way. Sue is the perfect leader for these programs, as she genuinely believes in the potential of every student and family and goes above and beyond her call of duty to support them in their needs.

As if that wasn’t enough, in her spare time Sue continues following her passion by volunteering for the Literacy Center of West Michigan and SLD Read tutoring adults and youth. She also serves on Grand Rapids Public Schools’ Parent University committee (a group that works to provide parents of GRPS students with tools and education to help their kids succeed in school), and she is a Parent Action Leader (PAL) at her sons’ school. One moment I experienced that was a true testament to Sue’s grassroots presence in the community was when, upon entering the room for a meeting, a man recognized Sue and said, “Oh! Hi Sue! I didn’t realize we were meeting with the Sue, who volunteered every morning at my son’s school giving rides to students in bad weather and making sure they got to school safely. It’s good to see you again!”

Thank you so much for considering Sue as a recipient for this award. I cannot imagine anyone who deserves it more than she does!

Sincerely,

Steffanie Rosalez

        Sue Garza (right) and Steffanie Rosalez do great work on Grandville Avenue

Cook Arts Center Students Share their Gifts with the Community

So many times, when we think of gifts, our minds entertain images of objects that can be purchased with money, such as extravagant diamonds exchanged between spouses, everyday cups of coffee purchased for our colleagues, or even generous donations to causes that we advocate for. However, on the sunny afternoons of the first two Wednesdays of April, the Cook Arts Center students gave us something different: without any money, these students provided a variety of substantial, vibrant, impressive gifts to the community of Grand Rapids.

The first example of these incredible gifts is the charming recital that was held for the public, neighborhood families and friends, and our staff. With the intent of displaying all that was learned in the last semester, the marvelous works of art displayed proudly included gorgeous paintings, photographs, sewing projects, and performances. The children played guitar, piano, and drums for a significantly large crowd. They performed a variety of types of dance, including ballet, hip hop, the gorgeous folkloric Mexican dance, and the increasingly popular breakdancing by Aerial Tactic. Members of the audience were smiling, clapping, laughing, and cheering, demonstrating that the richness of their culture spread to everyone in the room, giving them rewards much greater than any gold could. This lively celebration not only allowed the community to see the work and artistic expression of the children in the Grandville Avenue neighborhood, but also shed light on the extraordinary culture that surrounds the center every single day.

The second gift that the children of the Cook Arts Center gave to the community of Grand Rapids came from a very unique, unexpected opportunity. As a result of a collaboration with donor who lives at a beautiful local retirement community, Beacon Hill, the boys men of the Aerial Tactic breakdance crew were invited to perform for the senior citizens living there. The afternoon started with the crew setting up their special mat while the crowd began to filter into the room. They seemed unsure of what was going to happen next, but after a brief introduction of the students, the dynamic dancing began. The audience, encouraged to make noise if they enjoyed the moves that they were seeing, proved to be one of the most active, participatory groups that the crew ever performed for. With their laughter, their “ooh’s and ahh’s” and their encouragement toward the young ones to dance their hearts out, a unique, unprecedented energy filled the room. Later, many of the seniors enthusiastically inquired about a variety of things such as, “What is the history of break dancing?”, “How do you keep from hurting yourself?”, and “How does this help with your schoolwork?” The kids and their teacher spoke eloquently to the curious audience, telling them that dance practice taught them discipline, self-esteem, and the payoff of hard work. One student in particular, Antonio, has expressed that breakdancing completely changed his life. This is a primary example of the myriad of gifts that these incredibly talented young people possess, and how the Cook Arts Center provides them a key to unlock them. Moreover, it highlights just a fragment of the potential that they have to make an impact on the community at large, and ultimately, the world.

All in all, when thinking of gifts, it is important to remember that they do not always come in the form of physical things. Thus, the Cook Arts Center’s assistance to the youth of the Grandville Avenue area is not a one-way street. Although it is true that we continue to carry out the mission of enriching the lives of neighborhood youth through diverse and engaging programs at the Cook Arts Center and the Cook Library Center, it is also true that they enhance ours immensely in return. Without the neighborhood’s incredible culture, sense of family, ability to celebrate joyously, and the talents of the children, the Grand Rapids community would be lacking tremendously. The Cook Arts Center’s partnership with the remarkable families in this neighborhood allows the students here to discover, develop, and display their artistic talents, which in turn inspires us to help them become the leaders of tomorrow.

More photos at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/grandville_avenue_arts_humanities/