Three years in the making, the Grand Rapids Public Museum turns curiosity toward the river

On June 13, the Grand Rapids Public Museum kicks off its Summer Saturdays series with a Riverfront Opening Celebration, introducing the public to a newly accessible stretch of riverfront that includes outdoor learning areas, direct water access, views of downtown, and connections to the renovated Cook Carousel Pavilion. The outdoor event is free, and for the Museum’s staff, it marks the end of a very long wait.

“We’ve been planning around it for a couple of summers now,” says Rob Schuitema, GRPM’s director of public programs. 

Construction delays and this spring’s flooding kept pushing things back. But the stars have aligned, and the opening celebration and kickoff of the museum’s summer programming will move directly to the water’s edge. 

The timing feels right

Cranes, construction fencing, and river restoration work have become familiar downtown sights. Civic leaders, engineers, environmental advocates, and everyday residents have spent about two decades working toward a future where the Grand River again sits at the center of city life — not at its edge. The GRPM’s role in that story is rooted in helping people understand what’s happening around them, with a nod to the power of science.

“The river is the lifeline of the city, and we are the people’s museum,” Schuitema says. “It’s a natural collaboration.”

That idea anchors the third annual Summer Saturdays series, running through Aug. 15, which weaves together science, history, culture, and art with hands-on exploration. Weekly topics after the June 13 kickoff celebration move from watersheds and geology to birds, ocean exploration, music, dance, and STEAM activities. The season closes with the Museum’s annual Grand River Adventure, designed to pull together many of the summer’s threads.

Saturday’s riverfront opening celebration

Visitors who attend the June 13 event will be able to participate in water-quality investigations, river ecology activities, geology discussions with GRPM’s Science Curator Dr. Cory Redman, drawing sessions with Urban Sketchers, artifact explorations from the Museum’s collections, solar telescope viewing of the sun, watershed-inspired crafts, live performances, and educational activities focused on the Grand River. Science isn’t just an add-on here. It’s how the Museum teaches people to ask better questions.

One activity lets visitors assess the health of the Grand River through water testing and the study of aquatic insects. The goal isn’t just methodology — it’s about disrupting assumptions that have lingered for generations.

“A lot of people don’t think of it as a healthy river,” Schuitema says. “Some folks think that since we are an industrial city, and the river is brown, that it must be polluted. However, when you conduct a water quality test, like we will be doing all day on Saturday, you see that it actually is a healthy river.”

The people’s museum and the roots of investigation 

The GRPM grew out of the Kent Scientific Institute, where residents gathered to observe, collect, document, and make sense of the world right in front of them. That was more than 100 years ago, and while the tools for scientific exploration look different today, the creative impulse of curiosity is the same.

“What we want people to do is learn something they didn’t know before and go, ‘Huh, that’s interesting. I’d like to learn more,” Schuitema says.

The new riverfront space makes programming possible that wasn’t before. River ecology is studied at the river’s edge in an outdoor classroom overlooking downtown. Solar telescopes will be set up on the Museum’s second-floor terrace to enable folks to observe the sun and its sunspots. 

Future programming opportunities, according to Schuitema, might center on scientific documentation of ecological changes recorded over time, or a gathering to hear community stories about how residents experienced the water – what it means to them, what they remember, and what they hope for the future of Michigan’s longest river.

“We’re going to learn as we go,” he says. “I’m excited about the unknown of what this event can become over time.”

A blank canvas experience awaits your contribution

For generations, the Grand River was measured in commerce, industry, and transportation. Present-day Grand Rapids is rediscovering this waterway as something more — an ecosystem, a gathering place, and a shared piece of civic identity. The GRPM’s job isn’t to hand people a conclusion. It’s to give them a reason to look more closely.

“We trick people into learning,” Schuitema says with a laugh. “We disguise these learning opportunities into really cool hands-on experiences.”

That’s what this new riverfront space is really offering. Not just another amenity to leverage for entertainment purposes alone. 

After years of planning, this celebration is an invitation for folks to slow down, look more closely, and, above all, remain curious about a river that shaped this community long before any of us arrived — and is very much still shaping what comes next.

Events happening this Saturday and all summer include: 

June 13 – Riverfront Grand Opening

June 20 – Unseen Oceans  (Traveling exhibition opening day)

June 27– Celebrating the Grand River Watershed and USA at 250

July 11 – Birds of the Great Lakes

July 20 – Exploring the Deep

July 27 – A Celebration of Music and Dance

August 1 – Riverside Art

August 8– STEAM Day

August 15 – Grand River Adventure

This story is part of the Bridge to Community Curiosity, underwritten by the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Through this partnership, we highlight GRPM’s mission to inspire curiosity, deepen understanding, and foster belonging by showcasing the transformative power of arts and education in West Michigan.

Photos by Tommy Allen, and classroom photos courtesy of GRPM.