On Display at GRCC’s Paul Collins Art Gallery During ArtPrize 2024 We look at screens more than we look at people. Is that a problem? This is one of the big questions Erin Reinholtz hopes viewers will think about as they consider her work during  ArtPrize .  “10,000 Followers” is a series of five large portraits drawn in charcoal and oil. The impetus for this work stemmed in part from big conversations about the long-term social impacts of screen addiction and cell phone use. “My work is a visual pondering about the consequences of social media on human interaction,” Reinholtz said. “So many people aspire to have thousands of followers on Facebook but have fewer and fewer meaningful friendships. I want us to ask ourselves: Is this healthy?” Reinholtz chose to focus on the eyes in her portraits to spark a dialogue about how we connect with others. “Eye contact is something you automatically understand,” Reinholtz said. “When we make space to connect with real people, in person, we develop deeper and more compassionate relationships. We see below the surface.” The five portraits in this work represent real people. Reinholtz put out a call for self-portraits in the small town of Lowell. She got a great response, even though she didn’t know any of the people personally.  “I tried to feel a deep connection to the people I painted,” Reinholtz said. “I chose colors based on the vibe I got as I looked into their eyes. I’m trying to convey a message and help others feel that same connection.” Her compelling desire for eye contact also comes from personal experience. “About nine years ago, I started having issues with my eyes,” Reinholtz said. “I gradually lost the ability to drive and to read. I was in a tremendous amount of pain.” Thankfully, she was able to get a diagnosis, and treatment eventually restored her vision. That experience provided a catalyst for Erin to take art back up again.  “I had put my art on hold while raising a family,” Reinholtz said. “After the scare that I might lose my eyesight, I realized I have a story to share through my work. I felt like I wasn’t using my gift—that I had acted as if I would always have a chance to paint again. To not share my work with others was selfish.” Erin thinks ArtPrize is a wonderful way to elevate the importance of art.  “This kind of city-wide experience is very different from visiting a single gallery,” Reinholtz said. “Being able to see art in many different places encourages curiosity. It helps people enjoy art in a way they didn’t expect. It also helps them start to appreciate what they like as they see art from all walks of life.” Erin hopes people who experience “10,000 Followers” feel inspired and grateful in the moment. “We live in a society driven by power and money, but life is about more than that. No matter how hard life gets, I try to be grateful and appreciate what I have.”  You can learn more about Erin and her work via her  erinreinholtz.com .  GRCC is hosting six ArtPrize entries in the Paul Collins Art Gallery, located on the fourth floor of the Raleigh J. Finkelstein Hall at 143 Bostwick Ave. NE. ArtPrize is open to the public from September 13-28, 2024. Learn more about the competition, venues, artists and voting  here .  

Sept. 5, 2024 On Thursday, Sept. 5, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will continue the 2024 Back-to-School Bus Tour alongside National Education Association (NEA) President Becky Pringle in Michigan. The week-long, multi-state road trip will showcase the many ways schools, families, and communities are doubling down on accelerating student achievement and raising the bar in public education with investments and other support from the Biden-Harris Administration. First, Secretary Cardona, Under Secretary James Kvaal, and NEA President Pringle will kick off the day in Grand Rapids, Michigan where they will speak to educators who have benefitted from the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. So far, the Biden-Harris Administration has approved over $69 billion in forgiveness for more than 946,000 borrowers through PSLF. Afterwards, Secretary Cardona will travel to East Lansing, Michigan where he will visit a school using a teacher apprenticeship program to recruit and develop more teachers. The Biden-Harris Administration has worked to expand these programs nationwide; while there were no registered apprenticeship programs for teachers prior to this Administration, there are now approved programs in 38 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico, up from zero at the beginning of the Biden-Harris Administration. He will end the day alongside U.S. Representative Shri Thanedar in Detroit, where they will participate in a town hall with high school students to discuss the youth mental health crisis.   The Back to School Bus Tour will feature stops in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Throughout the week, Secretary Cardona, Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten, and Under Secretary James Kvaal will join national, state, and local school leaders to speak with students, parents, and educators for events that celebrate the back-to-school season and underscore the Administration’s commitment to helping students recover from the impacts of the pandemic and continue on the road to success. This year’s theme, Fighting for Public Education, highlights how school communities are using the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic investments in public education to implement evidence-based and promising and innovative strategies and accelerate academic success, to support students of all ages and backgrounds. The 2024 bus tour will celebrate public education as the American system that opened the door for so many of our nation’s success stories: from astronauts to astrophysicists, writers to engineers, musicians to mathematicians, innovative entrepreneurs in the private sector to great leaders in the public sector. Photos courtesy of the U.S. Dept. of Education