Grand Rapids Calls On Artists To Celebrate 175th Anniversary

Grand Rapids, the second-largest city in Michigan, is celebrating its 175th anniversary. Founded in 1850, the city has seen quite a few changes over the years.  Before it was Beer City, USA, the city was known as the Furniture Capital of the World and would send logs down the Grand River to lumber mills.

Get our free mobile app

Speaking of the Grand River, it still had the rapids that the city is named after. Even the way we get around the city has changed. No longer do we take a trolley around town; instead, we catch a bus. It's a time of celebration, and the City of Grand Rapids is calling on artists to help make the official poster for the anniversary celebrations.

Grand Rapids Anniversary Artist Competition

Even though the city's 175th anniversary took place on April 2nd, the celebration is going on all year long. Before July 25th, artists are invited to submit a poster based on the prompt "What does Grand Rapids mean to you?".

READ MORE: Grand Rapids Free Outdoor Movies Summer 2025 |

The first-place winner will receive $1,500 and 300 posters to sign, while the second and third-place winners will receive $250. The full rules and submission form are available here.

On top of the competition, the city is hosting a huge birthday party on June 7th in Rosa Parks Circle, a mobile museum exhibit dubbed "175 pictures for 175 years" will pop up in various city buildings all summer, a birthday video is in production, and local breweries are making limited-edition anniversary beers.