Princess Di and the Next Generation at the GRAM

The whole world seems to be talking about the British Royal Family again these days with the announcement of the engagement of Prince William to Kate Middleton.  The news has prompted renewed interest in William's beloved mother, Princess Diana, and the timing couldn't be greater for Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Seemingly worlds apart, Grand Rapids is the temporary home of Diana's wedding dress, among other keepsakes on display at the Grand Rapids Art Museum.  Diana: A Celebration, which was already drawing large crowds, even garnered the attention of NBC's Today Show, who recently paid a visit.  A ticket-taker at the museum said that approximately two hundred people an hour have been walking down this royal memory lane.

It's the princess' style that first captures most people's imagination, but this award-winning exhibition showcases much more.  Spread out among nine galleries, it features more than 150 personal objects including her wedding gown with its enormous train, 28 designer dresses and suits, family heirlooms, personal momentos, and even rare home movies. 

When you enter the first gallery you are met by a stunningly lit jeweled crown, and the glamour and history of it all immediately comes to life.  As the exhibit unfolds, however, it becomes apparent that this was just an ordinary girl who was thrust into a life of extraordinary opportunity.  Opportunity that may well have been lost on so many others, but in her hands she carried the burden of enormous fame and responsibility with unmatched grace, in order to ease the plight of those who suffered true hardship.  Beyond the beautiful dresses, it is the humanity of Diana, Princess of Wales, which is on display.

One gallery is dedicated to her extensive charity work, and it leads to another that reminds us of the devestating loss with poignant details of her untimely death and the touching tributes throughout the world that came as a result.  I found myself struck by the overwhelming power of a single life, well lived.

That mental backdrop made another timely exhibit even more remarkable.  After experiencing a glimpse of life through Diana's eyes, we visited the second floor of the museum for Class Pictures: Photographs by Dawoud Bey.   Between 1992 and 2007, Bey traveled to six high schools in the Midwest and on both coasts. He photographed students from across the economic, social, and ethnic spectrum.   Before getting in front of the camera, each student was asked to write a one-page self-description.  Bey got to know his subjects through the making of each photograph and only after each student left did he read his or her description.

Class Pictures presents forty photographs from this project alongside the student-written descriptions.  Many are heartwrenching, some are amusing, and all are true portraits of the souls and spirit of American teens.  I couldn't help thinking how much Princess Diana would have liked these kids.  Despite all of the trappngs of a royal life, these were her people.  Ordinary young men and women all dreaming of making a better life for themselves, their families, and the world.  I think she would have been comforted by the thought of their generation leading us on, I know I was. 

It's a particularly great time for a visit to the Grand Rapids Art Museum. 

Diana: A Celebration continues through February 16, 2011.  Purchase tickets in advance while supplies last.  Class Pictures: Photographs by Dawoud Bey runs through March 20, 2011.  For more details visit www.artmuseumgr.org.