Fountain Street Church Analysis

“Where do we even walk in? It must be closed.”
“No, it’s open, the entrance is…”
My sister and I stared at the ten-foot high, double, wooden doors, there are no signs posted, but we still reached for the handles and pulled open. We strolled into the unknown; into Fountain Street Church. I was expecting the work from ArtPrize to be the main attraction in this one hundred year old building, but was easily distracted by the beauty of the architecture within Fountain Street Church. This masterpiece of a structure is far from just a venue for ArtPrize, Grand Rapid’s beloved art celebration and competition, but it is a place where civilians have gathered for many generations to celebrate faith. The artwork on display at Fountain Street Church adds unique characteristic to the idea of faith and being human, with its theme: "Art to Change the World: Inspiring Social Justice.” Other venues downtown participating in ArtPrize may have mesmerizing pieces of art, but …show more content…
It’s a three-dimensional steel design called Borders by Nate Lattimore. It is located in the entryway of the church; the first thing you lay your eyes on. The column, painted a polished gold color for this event, is accompanied by four sides of rust colored steel, in the shape of an American flag. Lattimore wanted those who visited this venue to question the concepts of the “American dream” and have discussions about immigration. Lattimore included a poem, by Emma Lazarus, written on the gold column, that represents the whole work of art. What I found intriguing is that this piece is wrapped around a column. It is what holds the building up and retains the strength. It is the first thing that gets built. The column is the backbone of the church, comparable to all the immigrants who journeyed to the America hundreds of years