Today we’d like to introduce you to Sheri Grant.
Hi Sheri, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born and raised in Southeast Michigan. My mom was a teacher, and my dad was an engineer by trade but an entrepreneur in spirit. From both of them, I inherited a deep respect for education, creativity, and hard work.
Following in my mom’s footsteps, I became a teacher. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Education from Michigan State University and a Master’s in Education from Wayne State University. I spent twelve wonderful years teaching before deciding to take some time away from the classroom to focus on being a stay-at-home mom.
In 2005, after going through a divorce, I faced a crossroads: return to teaching or accept what my dad called his “Gift of Possibility” — the opportunity to run our family foundation, The Reid Family Foundation. At that time, our foundation operated Museum Bronze, a museum dedicated to the history of the Industrial Revolution. We had over 3,000 scale-replica, precision-built models — we were like a mini Henry Ford Museum!
My dad’s goal was to inspire the next generation to work with their hands, so the foundation supported hands-on education in the arts, engineering, and the trades. When my dad passed away in 2013 (my mom had passed in 2011), I faced one of the most difficult challenges of my life. As part of the foundation’s strategic plan, I had to liquidate my dad’s beloved collection from Museum Bronze. It was heartbreaking — even harder than my divorce — because the future of the foundation and my dad’s legacy were in my hands, and I was still grieving his loss.
It took nearly two years to sell everything, but I like to think that my dad’s story is now spread all over the world. With the proceeds from the sale, The Reid Family Foundation established an endowment to continue supporting hands-on learning into the future.
Between 2015 and 2020, I worked with a partner to teach conflict management workshops around the world. Then, when COVID hit, I was in the process of relocating to a home on Lake Michigan in Kewadin, planning to split my time between there and an apartment in Washington, D.C., where my son lives. When the pandemic forced me to shut down my apartment, I decided to live full-time in Northern Michigan and began looking for a place to put down roots for myself and the foundation.
That’s when I discovered the purple Lilac Antiques building in Elk Rapids. At first, I almost didn’t look at it because it seemed like a much bigger project than I wanted. But something about it called to me. When I walked inside, I immediately felt a warm, welcoming energy — and saw tremendous possibility. I made an offer that same day.
What’s been truly amazing is how the Elk Rapids community has embraced me with that same energy. Everyone has been so friendly, encouraging, and kind. After buying the building, I got to work. I knew I wanted to create a place where people could gather — to make friends, heal, and have fun — and something that would honor my dad’s spirit while reflecting my own passions.
In the midst of all this, I was diagnosed with a rare, incurable disease called Idiopathic Subglottic Stenosis, which causes my windpipe to close. I’ve had four surgeries over the past five years with a specialist in Boston to manage it. Despite this challenge, I kept soul-searching — and renovating — to find the true purpose for this special place.
The answer that kept coming back to me was art and community. I wanted to create a space where people could experience art and connection in all its forms. And that’s how Art & Connection was born — a place where creativity, healing, and human connection come together.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it definitely hasn’t been a smooth road — but I’ve learned that the bumps and detours often shape us more than the easy stretches ever could.
I grew up as the only girl with three older brothers in a family manufacturing business called Flexible Products. My dad was a strong, entrepreneurial figure, and my brothers were very involved in the business. Choosing to become a teacher — to follow in my mom’s footsteps — meant I didn’t quite fit into that world, and at times I felt left out. Still, I knew that teaching was where my heart belonged.
Throughout my marriage, I struggled with depression, even while juggling full-time teaching, earning my master’s degree, raising two toddlers, and managing a move. By 2005, my marriage ended in divorce — a painful but necessary turning point. Then came a series of deep losses that tested me in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
In 2011, I lost my mom. Two years later, in 2013, my dad passed away — and with him, the family business that had always been the glue holding us together. When the business was sold, my brothers and I each went our separate ways. That same year, I also lost my beloved cat and my best friend to cancer. It felt like every foundation I’d known was suddenly gone.
When COVID hit, I was in the middle of transitioning my life between Northern Michigan and Washington, D.C. I had to close my D.C. apartment, which felt like closing a chapter of my independence. Then in 2021, I was diagnosed with a rare, incurable condition called Idiopathic Subglottic Stenosis — an illness that causes my windpipe to close. It’s required multiple surgeries in Boston to manage.
During one of those surgeries, I lost my commercial contractor, which meant I had to take over as my own general contractor for the building renovations in Elk Rapids. It was daunting, but it also showed me what I was capable of when I refused to give up.
Despite all these challenges, I can honestly say that each struggle taught me something essential about strength, purpose, and faith. Every loss and setback eventually guided me toward creating something meaningful — a place for art, healing, and connection. The road has been anything but smooth, but it’s led me exactly where I was meant to be.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
At Art & Connection, I’ve created a place that brings people together through creativity, community, and healing. It’s more than just an art space — it’s a gathering place where people can reconnect with themselves and each other through the power of art, conversation, and shared experience.
What we do is rooted in the belief that art can be transformative. Whether someone comes in for a workshop, an exhibit, or simply to sit and enjoy the space, my goal is for them to leave feeling inspired, seen, and uplifted. We host classes, community art events, and programs that focus on both creative expression and emotional well-being. I want people to feel that Art & Connection belongs to them — that it’s a safe and welcoming space where everyone can explore, create, and connect.
We specialize in offering hands-on, inclusive programs that foster learning, self-expression, and emotional wellness. Since opening, we’ve offered approximately 100 classes in our first year, 140 classes in our second year, and 100 classes this year. Over 3,500 participants have joined our classes, and we’ve provided 850 free art bags to kids, as well as over 2,400 free summer projects in our Imagination Station. We’ve hosted 55 community events both on site and throughout the region and welcomed more than 50 community groups, with over a dozen meeting regularly in our space. Our public art initiatives include a giant building mural and painted fish benches throughout Elk Rapids.
Over the past three years, we’ve given out more than $75,000 in regional grants to provide access to art for those who otherwise would not have it. These numbers are meaningful, but what I’m most proud of is seeing the impact — children and adults alike discovering their creativity, forming friendships, and feeling a sense of belonging.
What sets Art & Connection apart is the combination of heart, history, and purpose behind it. It’s deeply tied to my own journey — honoring my father’s legacy of hands-on learning, my mother’s love of teaching, and my personal belief in the healing power of creativity. This space grew out of resilience, reflection, and the desire to make something beautiful out of life’s challenges.
I think people sense that authenticity when they walk through the door. The building itself, once the bright purple Lilac Antiques building, has been lovingly transformed — every corner has a story. I poured myself into the renovation, often quite literally with my own hands, especially after losing my contractor.
What I’m most proud of is seeing the way people respond — how their faces light up when they create something, how friendships form between people who might never have met otherwise, and how art can quietly open the door to healing.
Art & Connection isn’t just about paint, clay, or canvas — it’s about belonging. It’s about showing up, creating, and finding joy again, even after life’s hardest seasons. That’s what makes this work so meaningful to me and, I think, what makes Art & Connection truly unique.
Looking ahead, I’m excited to expand the reach and impact of Art & Connection in several new ways in 2026. One of our major initiatives is a teacher grant program, where educators at four different schools can apply for grants up to $5,000 for materials and programs they otherwise couldn’t afford. Schools themselves can apply for grants up to $10,000, allowing us to support innovative learning across the region.
We’re also launching a mobile art program called the “Creativity Cruiser”. The Cruiser will bring art directly to people who may not have the money or transportation to get to Art & Connection. It will visit schools, parks, senior centers, and neighborhoods, and will also serve as a kind of “ice cream man” for art supplies — giving away free, age-appropriate materials in rural and low-income areas.
Additionally, I’ll be offering at least two art retreats, each 3–4 days long, giving participants a deeper, immersive creative experience. To make space for these new programs, we’ll be reducing our regular classes to between 40–50 per year, allowing us to focus more intentionally on these transformative initiatives.
I’m energized by these plans because they allow Art & Connection to bring creativity, healing, and connection to even more people, no matter where they live or what resources they have.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I’ve learned that luck isn’t just random — it’s often about being open to possibility and ready to act when opportunities appear. Looking back, there have been moments of what some might call bad luck that really tested me: my divorce, losing both of my parents, closing the family business, COVID forcing me to shut down my D.C. apartment, and being diagnosed with a rare, incurable disease. Each of these could have stopped me in my tracks.
But those challenges also created openings I never would have imagined. My dad’s “Gift of Possibility” led me to run the family foundation. Losing the family business and his museum collection allowed me to establish an endowment to support future hands-on learning. Moving to Northern Michigan and discovering the purple Lilac Antiques building — a project I almost walked away from — gave me a space to create Art & Connection. Even losing my contractor forced me to become my own general contractor and taught me resilience, resourcefulness, and confidence I didn’t know I had.
So, luck has played a huge role, both good and bad. But what I’ve realized is that we create our own luck when we meet opportunity with courage, creativity, and persistence. The “bad luck” moments have often turned into the most meaningful chapters of my life and work.
Pricing:
- Free Classes
- Free Supplies
- Free Space
- 2026 Teacher Grant Program
- Mobile Art “Creativity Cruiser.” Taking free art experiences and supplies to where it is needed most
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.artandconnection.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artandconnectionorg
