The story of Grand Rapids cannot be told without acknowledging the tremendous contributions of women from the area and beyond. We honor them every day but especially throughout Women’s History Month, the annual spring observance that highlights the role of women in events in history and contemporary society. Here are some great ways to celebrate female empowerment this March.
Special Events
Explore ideas and products for female health, home, style, shopping and fun at the West Michigan’s Women Expo, coming to DeVos Place March 7-9.
Dance, dine and build community at the Women’s Day Celebration: Women in Motion event hosted by downtown GR’s Armentality Movement Arts Center March 8.
Enjoy A Conversation with Julianne Vanden Wyngaard, retired carillonneur and the first female Black faculty member hired at Grand Valley State University. At GVSU’s Pew Campus in downtown GR, March 12.
Experience a day of physical, emotional and relational transformation at Matters of the Heart: The Essence and Wellbeing of Women Over 50. At Grand Valley State University’s L. William Seidman Center in downtown GR, March 22.
Join investigative reporter Dina Temple-Raston for True Stories About the People Making and Breaking Our Digital and Cyber World at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, March 25.
Take a FREE guided walking tour of Women’s Way Murals in downtown GR with Grand Rapids Running Tours. Just meet in front of the Grand Rapids Art Museum March 25 at 6pm.
Get inspired through dance workshops, a dynamic performance and thought-provoking discussions with the performers at WOMANHOOD: Rituals, Mythology, and Other Stages. March 25 at Armentality Movement Arts Center.
Attend 125 Years of the YWCA to learn how Grand Rapids’ Helen Claytor transformed the YWCA from a place where women could have lunch together without being escorted by a man to an organization committed to eliminating racism and empowering women and girls. At the Grand Rapids Public Library in downtown GR March 27.
The Art of Women
Take the self-guided Women Legends Walking Tour and Legacy Landmarks Walking Tour of downtown Grand Rapids, prepared by the Greater Grand Rapids Women’s History Council.
View artistic tributes to 26 amazing women on the self-guided Rad Women Electrical Box Tour of downtown GR. All portraits were painted by local female-identifying artists.
Experience four immersive “Women’s Way” murals in downtown GR alleyways:
- Angeline Kelsey “Naw Kay o say” Yob Way, named for a local educator, community activist and citizen of the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians, is located just north of the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum on Sheldon Blvd. NE.
- Harriet Woods Hill Way, dedicated to the first Black woman officer in the Grand Rapids Police Department, is situated at the northwest corner of GRPD headquarters .
- Maurilia Ortiz Blakeley Way, just west of San Chez Bistro , includes a 50-foot high mural of the woman who created the local Hispanic Institute.
- Ethel B. Coe Way, a tribute to the local community activist, musician, actor and civil rights actor, is just north of GLC Live at 20 Monroe on Monroe Ave .
Grand Rapids Running Tours is offering FREE guided walking tours of Women’s Way Murals on March 1 and RAD American Women A-Z on March 25.
Explore the work of female creatives at the Grand Rapids Art Museum:
- Fallow Season is an exhibition of Michigan artist Kristina Sheufelt’s work confronting the urgent questions facing the ecological future of this land. All month long.
- Gallery Chat: Women in Art examines the backgrounds and unique perspectives of women artists and subjects throughout GRAM’s collection. March 11 from 1-2:30pm.
- An Afternoon with Jean Stoffer is a conversation and book signing with the GR-based interior designer, in celebration of the Museum’s At in Bloom exhibition. March 29 from 2-3:30pm.
Women & Film
See a collection of films with female protagonists at Wealthy Theatre:
- Mustang (March 10) is a Turkish movie about four orphaned sisters growing up in a conservative society.
- Freaky Friday (March 11) is the Jaime Lee Curtis-Lindsay Lohan comedy about a mom and daughter who switch bodies.
- Tierra De Sol Y Sombra GR (March 22) is a documentary tribute to Chicago writer Rey Flores, who illuminated the stories of migrant women.
- Certain Women (March 24) is an American movie about three-strong-willed women striving to forge their own paths in small-town America.
Screen Andrea Fraser’s1989 film Museums Highlights: A Gallery Talk at the Grand Rapids Art Museum. The film, which uses satire to deconstruct how cultural institutions demand reverence from the visitors they proclaim to serve, is considered a seminal work of institutional critique. All month long.
Musical Women
Legendary songstress Judy Collins brings her sublime vocals to GR’s St. Cecilia Music Center March 13.
Australian bass-music powerhouse Sippy appears at The Stache with support from PRIM, S’moores and Bwamp Thing. March 15.
Dance music/alt-pop artist Luci comes to The Stache with her Enchanted Tour Part 2 - The Lore of the Fae tour, with support from CASS, Konundrum and GeminEye. March 21.
Canadian singer-songwriter Martha Wainwright appears live at Midtown to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her debut studio album, March 23.
Wannabe: A Spice Girls Tribute is the ultimate 90s dance party, sharing a message of love, equality and girl power. At Elevation March 26.
Ferocious country rockers Sarah Shook & The Disarmers stop at The Pyramid Scheme on their Farewell Tour. March 26.
Country-music artist Alexandra Kay, whose voice is often compared to Dolly Parton, Alison Kraus and Leanne Womack, comes to The Intersection with her Cupid’s a Cowgirl concert tour. March 30.
Funny Women
Laugh along with accomplished female comedians at LaughFest, our annual community-wide festival of funny:
- NYC-based stand-up comedian and actress Gabby Bryan (March 7 & 8).
- Nationally acclaimed comedians Katie Hannigan, Paula Kosienski and Vanessa Gonzalez, part of the Clean Comedy Showcase (March 7 & 8) and The Virtual Reality Showcase (March 8).
- LaughLab TV cast member Christa Wright and Detroit-based comedian Robyn Gilleran, who will participate in The Dirty Show (March 8).
- Local celebrity chef Jenna Arcidiacono and comedian Nardos Osterhart in Cooking & Comedy (March 9).
LaughFest benefits Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids, an emotional health support community for anyone dealing with cancer, which was founded by three local women and inspired by the cancer journey of the late Saturday Night Live comedian Gilda Radner. You can help further the organization’s mission by attending its Red Door Gala, featuring dinner and a show from America’s Got Talent finalist Preacher Lawson, at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park March 19.
Women on the Stage
Alabaster is a darkly comic Southern drama about love, art and the power of women presented by Actors’ Theatre Grand Rapids. Through March 8.
Ain’t Nothing Like Family: Ms. Wilkins Birthday Bash is hilarious play showing what it means for family to stick together. A night of clean comedy and an uplifting atmosphere at Wealthy Theatre March 28.
Menopause the Musical 2: Cruising Through Change follows four ladies on a musical comedy journey aboard a cruise ship. This hilarious and heartfelt journey about the joys of menopause and friendship sails into DeVos Performance Hall March 29.
Broadway Grand Rapids presents Pretty Woman: The Musical, based on one of Hollywood’s most beloved romantic stories of all time. At DeVos Performance Hall, April 29-May 4.
Women on the Page
Schuler Books welcomes Erin Hicks Moon, author of I’ve Got Questions: The Spiritual Practice of Having It Out With God on March 21, and H.M. Bouwman, discussing her new historical fiction novel Scattergood on March 26.
Beth Allison Barr, author of the new book Becoming the Pastor’s Wife: How Marriage Replaced Ordination as a Woman's Path to Ministry, talks about her book and signs copies at Calvin University’s Center for Faith & Writing. March 20.
Women in Sports
Cheer on the Grand Rapids Rise pro volleyball team, West Michigan’s first female major-league sports team, at Van Andel Arena. March 5, 13, 15, 20 and 28.
Attend the home opener of Grand Raggidy Roller Derby, which has two teams – All Stars and Attack – both playing their first home game of the season on March 8 at JAM Sports.
Women & Business
Raise a glass to Women’s History Month at the breweries, wineries and distilleries led by Women Crafting the Beverage Industry in Grand Rapids.
Shop at 25 Women-Owned Businesses in Grand Rapids for clothing, furniture, gifts, books records and more.