A Grand Gallery
Human figures sculpted out of Saran Wrap perched on the railings of a downtown office building. A video installation that recreated the dream world of children. A sculpture built with ladders that sat in the center of a downtown plaza, while another — this one crafted out of shovels — adorned a nearby office building.
These artworks were just four of the 1,262 pieces on display at 159 venues in 2009 for the first annual ArtPrize contest. Ranging from traditional oil paintings to those artistically arranged ladders, the artworks were created specifically for the competition by artists from 41 states and 14 countries. This year ArtPrize will be even bigger, with 1,713 pieces on display. It’s an event that has taken the art world — and all of Grand Rapids, Michigan — by storm.
ArtPrize’s concept is simple: Any venue can become a gallery, any artist can display his or her work and any visitor can vote via cell phone for favorite works in an American Idol-style contest that transforms ordinary citizens into art jurors. At the end of two weeks, the top vote getters split $449,000 in prize money, with the winner getting the world’s largest art prize — $250,000.
Nearly 200 downtown venues have been selected for ArtPrize 2010, turning Grand Rapids, once again, into the nation’s largest free art gallery. The event takes place September 22 through October 10. Maps and venue locations are listed online at artprize.org.
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