Our Impact
MillerKnoll is partnering with the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) as the lead sponsor for the ‘In Dialogue’ exhibit by Dawoud Bey & Carrie Mae Weems and associated educational programming that will engage several thousand schoolchildren throughout West Michigan where arts and cultural learning experiences have been underfunded. The exhibit explores the complexities and realities of race, class, representation, and systems of power from African American events and lived experiences.
Dawoud Bey (left) and Carrie May Weems (right)
“Dawoud Bey and Carrie Mae Weems are each iconic and inspiring artists on their own which makes their collaboration for this exhibit truly powerful,” said Linda Brand, Executive Director of MillerKnoll global philanthropy. “The ‘In Dialogue’ exhibit and related Kitchen Table Series can help us all learn and increase our understanding of the complexities around race and representation. We are proud to be the lead sponsor and partner with the GRAM to bring a bold and engaging experience to West Michigan and three other major areas across the country, hoping to shed a much-needed light on African American realities that have long been ignored.”
Through the partnership, MillerKnoll is supporting the GRAM in providing in-person and virtual learning opportunities, including interactive guided tours, engagement with guest speakers and local photography artists, and digital resources with lesson plans and art projects. This initiative will serve up to 3,000 students, with over 80% of participating students from low-income households.
If you are in the West Michigan area, you can visit the exhibit now through April 30 at the GRAM. See below for other events offered at the exhibit and visit the GRAM’s Event Calendar to learn about new and upcoming events. *Call or check the website for fees associated with entry and/or events
Artist Talk: Dawoud Bey and Carrie Mae Weems - Thursday, March 24, 2022, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm ESTArtists Dawoud Bey and Carrie Mae Weems will discuss their relationship of over forty years and the shared dialogue between their work in a conversation moderated by GRAM Chief Curator Ron Platt. For those unable to attend in person, the talk will also be livestreamed.
Kitchen Table Series: Diversity in Design with MillerKnoll – Thursday, March 24, 2022 – 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ESTThe Kitchen Table Series Conversations will pair with socially focused organizations to feature presentations and facilitate community discussions on identity and experience, themes regularly explored in Weems’ work.
In sponsorship with the GRAM and MillerKnoll, the exhibit will travel to the following venues throughout the US:
Tampa Museum of Art: July 21 – October 23, 2022
Seattle Art Museum: November 15, 2022 – January 22, 2023
The Getty Center, Los Angeles: April 4 – July 9, 2023
About MillerKnoll
MillerKnoll is a collective of dynamic brands that comes together to design the world we live in. Powering the world’s most dynamic design brands, MillerKnoll includes Herman Miller and Knoll, plus Colebrook Bosson Saunders, DatesWeiser, Design Within Reach, Edelman Leather, Fully, Geiger, HAY, Holly Hunt, KnollTextiles, Maars Living Walls, Maharam, Muuto, naughtone, and Spinneybeck|FilzFelt. Together we are redefining modern design for the 21st century and changing the world for the better. As MillerKnoll, we form an unparalleled platform from which to imagine a more sustainable, caring, and beautiful world for everyone.
About the Grand Rapids Art Museum
Connecting people through art, creativity, and design. Established in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, the Art Museum is internationally known for its distinguished design and LEED® Gold certified status. Established in 1910 as the Art Association of Grand Rapids, GRAM has grown to include more than 6,000 works of art, including American and European 19th and 20th century painting and sculpture and more than 3,000 works on paper. Embracing the city’s legacy as a leading center of design and manufacturing, GRAM has a growing collection in the area of design and modern craft. For hours and admission information, call 616.831.1000 or visit artmuseumgr.org.
About the Exhibition
Dawoud Bey & Carrie Mae Weems: In Dialogue (Jan. 29 - April 30, 2022) brings together a focused selection of work from a period of over forty years by two of today’s most important and influential photo-based artists. Both born in 1953, Bey and Weems found motivation for their art in the changing American social landscape of their youth. Since meeting in a photography class taught by Bey at the Studio Museum in Harlem in 1976, the two artists have been intellectual colleagues and close friends, each exploring similar themes of race, class, representation, and systems of power. In Dialogue is the first exhibition to exclusively bring their work together.