The world’s largest art prize
Have you heard about ArtPrize? It’s the world’s largest art competition completely voted on by the public, and took place in Grand Rapids from September 23 through October 10, 2009. The art is featured in various indoor venues and scattered outdoors throughout the city. Each artist can only submit one entry, and there are no restrictions on medium of work. One of the most popular entries was installed into the Grand River, titled The Nessie Project. There was actually a group of kayakers that floated down the Grand River to get a closer look at “Nessie of the Grand.” Other entries were a series of portraits created with pushpins and a seven-foot Moose made entirely of nails.
that art has the power to inspire
and enliven our communities,
[ArtPrize] was a glorious example.
Rick DeVos, a social entrepreneur who offered $449,000 in cash prizes, set up this event. Over 1,200 artists exhibited their work for two weeks, with a total of 334,219 votes cast. First prize went to a three-panel painting of ocean waves, titled Open Water No. 24, by Brooklyn painter Ran Ortner. A repeat event is planned for September 22 through October 10, 2010.
The audience votes by texting up or down, and the artist with the most votes takes the $250,000 ArtPrize. Imagine standing in front of a work of art (or kayaking up to it) and using your cell phone to text in your vote. Imagine a city turned into a giant art gallery.
What a great way to involve people in exploring art and exploring the city of Grand Rapids! I hope to be surprised and inspired by the entries I see at this year’s event. More event information can be found at… www.artprize.org
and the intensity of it all
will leave behind a broader,
more favorable… appreciation of
the visual arts in west Michigan.
