Pastel illustration (lavender background), polka dot border. Image of young blonde-haired boy wearing blue hat, green elf shoes, holding red fish. Text: "fish boy" painted across top in black.

Reb Roberts is a local Grand Rapids artist who has made great strides in promoting local art in the Eastown district of Grand Rapids. He and his wife Carmel Loftis opened the Sanctuary Folk Art gallery in 1999, which works closely with Heartside Ministries to nurture the creative instincts and artistic expression of low-income and homeless people. On his work he says, "Art can be a part of a sustainable urban environment... With some true collaboration, neighborhoods and artists can work to incorporate original ideas into an art filled city...art is the next truly urban frontier."