Lions & Rabbits has long been the hub for art-centric events.
For many years we hosted weddings, corporate gatherings, dinner parties, art exhibitions, and so much more at our gallery on Plainfield Ave.
Last winter, we grew out of that gallery space. We moved on, so that we can bring these special experiences closer to home.

Last week, we exceeded our $50,000 fundraising goal on Patronicity!

Thanks to your generosity, four new mural projects have come to life in our communities. Your support has ensured that these artists are fairly compensated for their expertise, and that our neighborhoods can be enriched by their work.

Our past events have done more than just showcase incredible local artists. They've served as catalysts for community engagement.

When artists have the resources they need—be it educational opportunities, logistical support, or materials—they can elevate their work from mere decoration to being a cornerstone in the community.

My name is Josh Bradley and I’m an artist from Gary, Indiana. I specialize in realism and I primarily paint in oil. I have many different reasons on why I create, but I believe the main reason is to share stories through painting. When somebody looks at my work I want them to think beyond someone just putting a paint brush to canvas.

I am a passionate and playful multi-media artist, deeply inspired by the dreamscapes and states interconnected with nature. Originally from Jackson, MI I have been living & creating in Grand Rapids for nearly 10 years. Using my degree in Psychology and Art from GVSU, I’ve been working as a full-time artist since 2021 with my business, Daydreams By Paige, LLC.

Ryan Crawley is an artist currently based in West Michigan. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from Western Michigan University and continues to work with acrylics and digital mediums exploring landscapes, animals, and more through abstract expression. He has worked with Lions and Rabbits on Windows GR, After Dark 2020, and Storm Drains, check out more of his story below!

Grand Rapids-based artist, originally from Brooklyn New York, curator, and photographer, Monroe Aki O'Bryant is best known as AkiBang. As an artist specializing in photography, abstract painting, and curating, he brings attention to today's important social issues. His work Realistic Neglects: A Graphic series won the 2D jury prize in photography in 2015. In addition to creating more art series in 2017 and beyond, Monroe also became the Curator at City Hall of Grand Rapids from 2016 to 2022. In 2020, Monroe collaborated with Lions and Rabbits to create his first group mural exhibition, entitled "We Are Superheroes" in Grand Rapids' South East area. As a result, he himself painted a mural entitled "You're not a mistake.".Currently, Monroe is in school for project management and will become PMP certified by the end of April. Among the galleries and exhibitions that have featured his work are The Grand Rapids Art Museum, The Devos Conventional Center, and The Obsidian Art Institute. Today, Akibang's works reflect the subject matter, passion, and technique of those he looks up to, but with his own unique style. In addition to a positive outlook for the future, he finds motivation in growth. In his community, and around the world, Monroe wants to use his life to effect positive change. Monroe is currently the resident curator of The Historic Four Star Theatre.

I am a full-time muralist living in Grand Rapids, MI. I was born in Albania, a small Mediterranean country, north of Greece, west of former Yugoslavia, and east of Italy. My great passion for art started the moment he saw a mesmerizing world in my first grade ABC book. This led me to get a high school diploma in art and theatrical set design in Albania. Years later, I got an art degree from Aquinas College in my current hometown. My artistic style has been influenced by impressionism, tromp l’oeil, and theatrical set design that I combine to create beautiful site specific murals around Michigan and beyond.

Living and working in Grand Rapids, MI, I (Alex) began as a musician and gradually cultivated other creative practices in the field of visual art, including stop-motion animation, sculpture, painting, and drawing. Now working as a full-time artist, my time is devoted to the exploration of ideas, imploring new techniques and mediums, as well as familiar ones to create art that connects with each evolution of the self. I create art because I have been gifted the life to be able to do so, through the hard work of generations of relatives, and to stay true to a promise I made to myself as a kid to never stop playing with my toys. Whether those toys be action figures or pieces of wire and clay, there is a story that is asking to be told.

Partnering with Ada Township, Lions and Rabbits is excited to to begin painting murals on Ada Railroads with local artists Christina Hutten and Dave Battjes! This project began in the summer of 2022 while working to redevelop the Ada Arts Council. Centered around community representation, increasing vibrancy, and creating new artist opportunities, the Ada Railroad Mural project was born. Slated to begin mid-June, you can view Christina’s underpass wall and bridge mural on Ada Dr SE between Bronson St. SE and Rix St SE. To see Dave’s Bridge Mural, follow Thornapple River Dr SE both North and South by Leonard Park. Read below to learn more about the artists!

The name "Ghost Town" comes from a time in my life when I was living outside of Detroit and spending a lot of time, both solo and with friends, exploring the many abandoned factories and buildings of the city. I've always been fascinated with empty spaces and those that have been forgotten. To be able to enter a place like that, to learn its history, and to try to put together some of the pieces of a place's past will always be something that I love very much. "Ghost Town" is a combination of my past experiences with my current life in an illustrated form.

I grew up surrounded by nature in a very small farming village called Ovid, MI, where I am thankful to have been raised by a family who let me be me, a weird kid doing weird things. I now reside in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I am a full-time artist and a ceramic studio technician at Kendall College of Art and Design. I am also a sculptor at Edge Themed Environments and I’ve taught ceramics and sculpture classes at multiple organizations over the past decade.

I’m Mariah Scott, a Grand Rapids-based artist and designer who focuses on typographic and nature-inspired elements in my work, which ranges from branding, to book design, to murals. Having run my business Rose Color Creative for 5 years now, I have had the pleasure of collaborating with so many amazing, community-driven clients to create colorful, expressive and impactful designs. As a native of Northern Michigan, I am so inspired by nature, seasons and the beauty of the midwest, and have recently completed my certification in botanical illustration to continue to pursue even more fine art, Illustration and mural design.

I’m Kennedy, and I am an artist born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Through a combination of hard-work and an amazing family and support system, I have been living my dream- owning and operating Lunar Ink- Tattoos in GR for a little over two years now. Art has always been my number one passion, but now takes a happy second place to our beautiful 2-and-a-half-year-old who is WAY more interesting than I am! I create art in hopes that it brings people the same happiness I feel while doing it.

I'm Emily Hromi, founder and lead creative of Studio Hromi LLC and its medical illustration division Hromi Biomedical. I am a self-employed medical illustrator and designer based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Originally from Ohio, I earned my BFA in Biomedical Art from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 2014 and moved to Grand Rapids shortly thereafter. Studio Hromi has officially been in business since August 2019 and supports dozens of clients and collaborators in Grand Rapids and worldwide with medical illustration, commercial illustration, graphic design, and other creative services. I am currently pursuing Board Certification and am an active professional member of the Association of Medical Illustrators and a two-time AMI Salon award winner.

As a lifetime resident of West Michigan my inspiration is derived from the seasonal changes, trees and the human-made objects incorporated within the natural environment. Impressionism and Dutch Baroque art are my main influences with a dash of reality and surreality. I previously attended Grand Valley State University in the mid 1990’s and left to be able to stay at home and care for my daughter with Rett syndrome. When I returned to art, my home studio became my anchor as I chose to become a single mother and then my lifeline after my daughter died in 2013. In 2018, I returned to GVSU and achieved my BFA in Painting in 2020. The growing art community in Grand Rapids has provided exciting opportunities to show my work and participate in public projects!

I am a West Michigan based artist focused on creating art inspired by nature. I grew up on the East side where I studied 2D art at the University of Michigan. I was inspired by a few 3D classes prior to graduation and now my work ranges from paintings to large-scale outdoor installations. I enjoy combining multiple mediums to depict the interactions between people and the natural environment.

Learn more about the artists hosted by Lions and Rabbits Center For the Arts during ArtPrize 2022!

Hi! My name is Kim Thai Nguyen and I am an illustrator and artist, born and raised in West Michigan. My work is primarily digital, which I love because I can easily experiment with bright colors…