Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities

Grandville Avenue Arts and Humanities (GAAH) operates the Cook Arts Center and the Cook Library Center—two facilities that exist for neighbors who live on the southwest side of Grand Rapids. Populated by a racially and ethnically diverse group of neighbors, the majority of our neighbors are Latinx, Black, or both. Our neighborhood also has the highest population density of youth in the city of Grand Rapids. Institutional culture has historically oppressed communities of color, and our neighborhood is no exception. At GAAH, we push against that institutional culture and engage with our neighbors through the arts and humanities to cultivate curiosity, creativity, and trusting relationships in ways that validate them as they forge new pathways.

GAAH’s programs utilize the arts and humanities as tools to create a vibrant neighborhood. We provide academic assistance, dance and music classes, storytelling and oral histories, parent support groups, painting and drawing classes, STEM activities, chess clubs, and more. At their core, though, all of GAAH’s offerings are built on relationships: we encourage youth to be their authentic selves and reach their full potential so that our neighborhood can flourish.

While we prioritize those who live in our neighborhood, our community is not exclusive. People from all areas and walks of life share joy and express themselves through arts and humanities programs in our facilities.