Abstract Orville Bulman (1904-1978) was an artist and businessman from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was active in the family business, the E.O. Bulman Manufacturing Co., for much of his adult life but had desired to be an artist from his youth. Largely self-taught, he began focusing more on his art work in the late 1930s and was noticed nationally in the 1950s. He did much of his artwork from his second home in Palm Beach, Florida and tropical settings with vibrant colors are often themes of his...

Abstract

Paul Collins (b. 1936) is an American realist painter who resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The collection includes biographical information, newspaper clippings and photographs of Collins as well as exhibit catalogs, ephemera and books illustrated by Collins. Additionally, there are several original art works by Paul Collins in the Grand Rapids Public Library art holdings. This collection would be of particular interest to those researching African American artists.

Abstract

This is a devised collection of zines from the Grand Rapids, Mich. area and West Michigan. The library began actively collecting zine material in 2014 and continues to add to the collection. Included in this collection are a number of classic 1980s punk rock fanzines as well as modern zines which tend to be more art or politics focused.

Abstract The Wilson and Seydel family papers contain material related to William Wallace Wilson (1899-1997) and Frances Louise Seydel Wilson (1901-1995) and their families. William’s father, S.H. Wilson, is well known for platting and developing Wyoming Park, Michigan. These papers include plat maps of the areas he developed, real estate advertisements, business records, correspondence, ephemera, and photographs. William Wilson graduated from Grand Rapids Central High School in 1916. A portion of the...