ArtPrize

ArtPrize seeking pitches from Minnesota, documentary planned

Mark Brush — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 18:44:08 +0000

The organizers behind the annual international ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan are going to Minnesota to seek pitches from the arts community there.

The person or group with the winning pitch will receive $5,000 to install their work at the Gillett Bridge in Grand Rapids for this year's ArtPrize event, according to the Associated Press.

ArtPrize organizers say they will hold an "ArtPrize Pitch Night" in Minneapolis. They say the process will be modeled on "5x5" events in Grand Rapids in which entrepreneurs have five minutes to pitch their idea to five judges.

Here's more from their website:

Bar owners won’t let liquor control commission spoil employee appreciation day

Lindsey Smith — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 03:53:04 +0000

Co-owners of Barfly Ventures Mark and Michele Sellers wanted to thank their employees for working their tails off during ArtPrize. So they designated Tuesday as employee appreciation day; whatever alcohol they sold would be split among the employees.

But before they opened, Mark Sellers got a call from the liquor control commission. Turns out, the state doesn’t like servers having an incentive to sell lots of alcohol, and it’s against the law.

“I can’t really be too mad at them because they gave us a courtesy call in advance and told us ‘hey don’t’ do this or you’re going to get in trouble’. It’d be like if a police officer called you and told you to slow down or he’s going to give you a ticket,” Mark Sellers said.

So instead of alcohol sales the Sellers’ will give their employees the food sales, not for just one day but three. They’ll pool the money from food sales at all three Grand Rapids establishments (HopCat, McFadden’s, and Stella’s Lounge) and split the total among all employees; cooks, servers, busboys, managers, and even HopCat’s official “chief beer geek” I met a couple weeks ago.

Armed with a sock, a pencil, and an eraser, Adonna Khare wins 2012 ArtPrize (VIDEO)

Mark Brush — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 15:08:59 +0000

Adonna Khare won the big $200,000 prize for the 2012 ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids for her pencil drawing 'Elephants.'

From her ArtPrize profile page:

Raised in a small town in Iowa, I've been drawing my family and animals since I was three. I create using the pencil, the eraser and a sock as my tools. The drawings are not pre-planned rather they evolve through my experiences with people and the absurdities of life.

Michigan Radio's Lindsey Smith reported on the announcement last night.

Here's a video of her installing her entry at the Grand Rapids Art Museum:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V7pF-FvOTo&feature=player_embedded#!

California art teacher and Detroit duo win top awards in ArtPrize 2012

Lindsey Smith — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 04:11:14 +0000

A part-time art teacher from Burbank, California won ArtPrize in Grand Rapids Friday night.

This was the first time Adonna Khare entered the art competition.

“I’m beyond grateful. I’m excited and completely surprised. But words cannot describe how happy I’m feeling right now,” Khare said.

Tonight's the night! ArtPrize winners to be announced

Kate Wells — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 21:18:39 +0000

Start practicing your drum rolls, people.

It's ArtPrize's big night, with some $560,ooo ready to be handed out to the winners in downtown Grand Rapids this evening.

With voting closed as of midnight today, let's go over the rules one last time: the public votes for one set of winners, and a jury selects their own favorites. Organizers are hoping there'll be some overlap, as they're trying to keep the more avant-garde artists involved in ArtPrize, and not just the big crowd-pleasers.

Loving, loathing and obsession? Must be ArtPrize again (with VIDEO)

Kate Wells — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:55:06 +0000

It's opening night for ArtPrize! The Musical.

“Greetings! I am your humble narrator,” booms a baritone straight out of The Lion King. “My friends, I know it’s hard to recall, but once there was a day with no ArtPrize!”

Just for a moment, let’s reflect: how many other things do you know that didn’t exist four years ago, but have now given locals enough to love and hate and just generally send up that they’ve got enough material for a one-hour twenty-minute original musical?

Report: Vandal strikes ArtPrize installation last night

Mark Brush — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 14:31:51 +0000

Reports of a vandal striking an art installation last night in Grand Rapids.

From the Grand Rapids Press:

Judy Rogers of Gowen returned to her entry "Love Is..." about 10 p.m. Monday to find the large rotating globe that was installed on the north side of the David D. Hunting YMCA branch knocked over and mangled.
Witnesses told Grand Rapids police that someone ran up to it and purposefully began hammering at the work of art until the large sphere came off it’s support.

The Press reports this is the second piece of art to be vandalized this year.

Gowen's entry was constructed using drawings made by elementary school students. The students are scheduled to visit the installation sometime this week.

Michigan Radio Picture Project: ArtPrize and Detroit Design Festival

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 17:04:45 +0000

Michigan Radio’s Picture Project is an experimental blog and forum for photographs that address Michigan people, places, events, and issues.

See the site for new features on Grand Rapids ArtPrize 2012 and Detroit Design Festival 2012.

Now in its fourth year, ArtPrize is an open art competition sprawling across downtown Grand Rapids--in galleries, on the street, and all over the city.

ArtPrize founder Rick DeVos announces top ten for 2012 contest

Lindsey Smith — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 20:50:17 +0000

Voters in ArtPrize have narrowed more than 1,500 works of art down to the top ten. One of the top ten artists will take home the $200,000 top prize later this week.

This year more than 40,000 people voted (more than 400,000 votes in total so far) for their favorites. Thousands gathered Sunday afternoon to hear ArtPrize founder Rick DeVos list off the ten works of art that got the most votes.

Stateside for Thursday, September 20, 2012

Mark Brush — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 22:04:21 +0000

On today's show we talk with Secretary of State Ruth Johnson, Michigan Radio's Tracy Samilton updates on CAW negotiations. We talk with University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman about her upcoming trip to Brazil. We get an update on Michigan wines and the Detroit Film Festival. We talk with Rick Devos about ArtPrize. We visit Ypsilanti and tour "Pianos around Town.

Stateside: Rick DeVos talks about ArtPrize

Stateside Staff — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 21:42:52 +0000

ArtPrize 2012 has opened in Grand Rapids.

It's the fourth time round for the huge art exhibition and contest. This year, more than 1,500 artists are competing for $560,000 in prize money. And it's all there--from art that inspires to art that could outrage--and it does get folks talking.

Cyndy spoke with ArtPrize founder Rick DeVos.

She wanted to know how ArtPrize differs from shows like the Ann Arbor Art Fairs?

The main difference, he said, was that it’s not specifically a marketplace.

ArtPrize 2012 now underway

Lindsey Smith — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 21:44:30 +0000

Thousands of people walked around downtown Grand Rapids for the kickoff of ArtPrize 2012 Wednesday.

1,517 artists are competing for more than half-a-million dollars in the art competition.

There’s so much art here I don’t even have to leave my office building to find some. Neither did Amy Norkus. I ran into the CPA in the lobby of our building taking a picture of a 20 foot long, very detailed quilt.

"I love it. For me to be able to work downtown and walk around and see art, it’s a real treat. It gets me away from all the numbers I have to deal with all day long,” Norkus said.

Art Prize begins Wednesday with $560,000 in total prizes

Jennifer White and Mercedes Mejia — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 23:33:02 +0000

Perhaps the most popular event in West Michigan begins Wednesday. The art competition known as Art Prize runs through October 7^th in Grand Rapids.

Now in its third year it’s an even larger event with more prize money for the winners. Brian Burch is Public Relations Director for Art Prize. He says the visitor just keep showing up.

"This year we'll have about 350, 000 visitors, but that's right from the start. Our first event in 2009 had about 200,000 people. so we just continue to grow," he said.

ArtPrize is taking shape in Grand Rapids

Steve Carmody — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 17:29:54 +0000

Hundreds of works of art are being installed across Grand Rapids this weekend.

The fourth annual ArtPrize exhibition officially gets underway on Wednesday.

ArtPrize public relations director Brian Burch admits there is some “anxiety” as the clock ticks down.

“With an event that is the size that it is…we’re expecting 350 thousand people…we have more than 1500 artists….at 161 venues,” says Burch, “Every year anxiety is high.”

The artists are competing for more than a half million dollars in prize money.

Calling all artists! ArtPrize registration begins today

Lindsey Smith — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Artists can start registering today to compete in ArtPrize this fall.

The winner of the yearly art competition is decided by the voting public who visit the event in September in downtown Grand Rapids.

More than a half a million dollars in prize money is at stake. The entry fee is just fifty bucks.

For the first time this year there’ll be $200,000 in prizes for juried awards in addition to those awarded by the popular vote.

ArtPrize spokesman Brian Burch says juried awards are what professional artists are used to.

ArtPrize 2011 pumps $15.4 million into Grand Rapids’ economy

Lindsey Smith — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:37:00 +0000

A report released today by the Anderson Economic Group say this year’s ArtPrize added $15.4 million to the Grand Rapids economy. That estimate is twice the economic impact measured in each of the first two years. 2011 was the third annual ArtPrize.

ArtPrize adds $100,000 juried award for 2012 event

The Associated Press — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:14:38 +0000

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) - The annual ArtPrize contest in Grand Rapids is getting a new $100,000 juried award and trimming how much money the top two publicly picked winners each get.

Organizers on Tuesday announced the creation of the ArtPrize Juried Grand Prize for the 2012 event, which is scheduled for Sept. 19 to Oct. 7. The new award makes the total prize money for the 2012 event $550,000, up from nearly $500,000 in 2011.

Next year, the artist winning the public voting will get $200,000 instead of the $250,000 that was awarded in 2011. The prize for second place will be $75,000, down from $100,000. Prizes for other juried awards will be $20,000.

Artist and venue registration for the fourth annual ArtPrize event will be announced later.

Introducing the winner at ArtPrize 2011 (video)

Mark Brush — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:40:27 +0000

ArtPrize 2011 organizers held a press conference introducing the winner, Mia Tavonatti, last night, and Michigan Radio reporter Lindsey Smith was there.

For receiving the most votes, Tavonatti took home the top prize of $250,000 (Tavonatti placed second last year and won $100,000).

She lives in California now, but Tavonatti is originally from Iron Mountain in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Smith described the winning piece this way:

The piece towers in the same performance hall where the winner was announced last night. It’s 9 feet across, 13 feet tall; made up of tiny pieces of stained glass that make up a vision of Jesus Christ dying on the cross.

Tavonatti said "when you bring Christ to town. I just knew he had certain things in store for me. And I wasn't going to tell him how to do his job."

Tavonatti's win was bittersweet. Her mother died early yesterday morning after a bout with pneumonia.

Here's the video of the press conference:

http://youtu.be/5gSr7XTS8eE

ArtPrize 2011 winners; thrilled, controversial, bittersweet

Lindsey Smith — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 07:30:14 +0000

(This article was altered to fix two grammatical errors.)

More than 1,500 artists from across the United States and 39 other countries competed in ArtPrize this year. More than 382,000 votes were cast by those who visited the event in Grand Rapids. Organizers estimate around 500,000 people came to the event, which runs through Sunday.

The winner – “Crucifixion” Mia Tavonatti

Iron Mountain native wins “ArtPrize” 2011 in Grand Rapids

Lindsey Smith — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 23:39:32 +0000

From an ArtPrize press release:

The top prize of $250,000 went to Mia Tavonatti from Santa Ana, California (originally from Iron Mountain, Michigan) for her large-scale mosaic, Crucifixion. More than 382,000 votes were cast in ArtPrize 2011 and an estimated 500,000 visitors experienced the third annual competition.