If you haven't made it to The Mitten Brewing Company yet to check out my ArtPrize piece, here are the images. The environmental portrait series of West Michigan Brewers is called "Handcrafted." I wanted this portrait series to be about the brewers as individuals. So much of the growth of Grand Rapids as a city has come from these people pouring their passion into their beer. They have brought to our community some great places to bond with loved ones, to laugh, to get to know each other, for deep conversation and I'm sure a few awkward first dates. I wanted to do a no bullshit portrait series in the place of their work with the best natural light I could find. For two weeks I traveled around West Michigan pulling my resources together to get this done. I am so happy with my work and proud of it. I am so proud of where I come from and the sense of community Grand Rapids embraces. I chose this project because of my love for craft beer. While working at Perrin Brewing Company I really recognized the role of the brewer and the art of bringing craft beer to our draft lines. They spent time with us every week teaching us about each beer and the brewing process. It truly is an art. Since then I have always felt like our breweries, our city and our beer get a lot of attention but the faces and hands behind it do not.

Cheers to our brewers!

Special thanks to all who participated: Odd Side Ales, Dark Horse Brewing Company, Arcadia Ales, Perrin Brewing Company, White Flame Brewing, Pike 51, Brewery Vivant, The Mitten Brewing Company and Founders Brewing Company.

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