Downtown in Holland in Ottawa County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
NEA Big Read Lakeshore
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 12, 2022
1. NEA Big Read Lakeshore Marker
Hope College's NEA Big Read Lakeshore is a community-wide reading program that takes place annually in November. In collaboration with over 50 community partners, our Lakeshore community comes around a chosen book and use this shared experience of reading, discussing and exploring the themes and topics of the book as a springboard to learn from and listen to each other.
Partial funding for our Big Read Lakeshore comes from the NEA Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
Every year, students in our partner schools across West Michigan interact with our program through creating artwork. Through the park, you will see some of that incredible artwork showcased!
This year, our book selections were Joy Harjo's An American Sunrise and Kevin Noble Maillard's Fry Bread. Both helped us focus on learning about history, specifically Native American history, and poetry or verse. We believe it is important to talk about history from the lens of "Whose history are we telling? and "Who is telling that history? We engaged with both authors, several experts in our own community
this page online
The Impace of Our Family Heritage
Middle school students in Allegan explored personal identity through their own heritages. Students researched their family heritage and explored how their heritage impacts them and makes them who they are today. As some students may not know their heritage, we asked them to focus on their family or individual traditions. Students then needed to create a self portrait with images of things/people that helped create them and who they are today. These portraits were displayed in the school and the Allegan District Library.
[Photo collages by] LE White Middle School 7th and 8th Grade (Ms. Becky Calvert)
English 12 Stop Motion Projects
Black River students in Ms. Bridget Pyle's English 12 class created a stop motion (or animation) project based on one of the poems from the collection. To view the videos, scan the QR code below. The videos vary in topic and mode, showcasing Joy Harjo's poetry in a fun, visual manner! Take a moment to watch a few.
Black River Public Schools, English 12 (Ms. Bridget Pyle)
Erected by NEA Big
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 12, 2022
2. NEA Big Read Lakeshore Marker and Marker Trail
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Education • Parks & Recreational Areas.
Location. 42° 47.895′ N, 86° 6.678′ W. Marker is in Holland, Michigan, in Ottawa County. It is in Downtown. It is on River Avenue / Pine Avenue south of the Macatawa River, on the right when traveling south. Markers are in Van Bragt Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Holland MI 49423, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in West Michigan, specifically in Greater Grand Rapids, and in one of the Lake Michigan Shore counties. It is also in the American Midwest. Globally, it is in North America, on the Great Lakes, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: "Uniting Sun" and "New Dawn Rising" (within shouting distance of this marker); Tower Clock (approx.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 12, 2022
3. NEA Big Read Lakeshore Middle School Marker
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 12, 2022
4. NEA Big Read Lakeshore Middle School Marker
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 12, 2022
5. NEA Big Read Lakeshore High School Marker
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 12, 2022
6. NEA Big Read Lakeshore High School Marker QR Code
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 12, 2022
7. NEA Big Read Lakeshore Elementary School Marker
Bay Yore-VanOosterhout
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 12, 2022
8. NEA Big Read Lakeshore Elementary School Marker
Jonny Maat and Zani Ramos
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 12, 2022
9. NEA Big Read Lakeshore Elementary School Marker
and Sid Orta
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 12, 2022
10. NEA Big Read Lakeshore Elementary School Marker
Jaqueline Gutierrez and Jaden Post
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 12, 2022
11. NEA Big Read Lakeshore Elementary School Marker
Academy, 3rd Grade
(Ms. Angela Gonzalez-Urbina)]
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 12, 2022
12. NEA Big Read Lakeshore Middle School Marker
marker showing student collages
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 12, 2022
13. NEA Big Read Lakeshore High School Marker
Hamilton High School, Painting 1
(Ms. Lisa Rilley)
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 12, 2022
14. NEA Big Read Lakeshore High School Marker
Black River Public Schools,
AP English Literature (Ms. Bridget Pyle)
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 12, 2022
15. NEA Big Read Lakeshore High School Marker
"The Guardians of Memory"
by Lindsay Brncick
Black River Public Schools
AP English Literature
(Ms. Bridget Pyle)
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 12, 2022
16. NEA Big Read Lakeshore High School Marker
West Ottawa High School, 3rd Period
Creative Writing (Mr. Eric Wilkinson)
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 12, 2022
17. Van Bragt Park Sign
Credits. This page was last revised on August 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 21, 2022, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 280 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. submitted on August 21, 2022, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
