When most people think of Grand Rapids, Michigan (if they do at all), they might think of President Gerald Ford, Amway, Ash’s boomstick or the Newsweek article naming it one of America’s Top Ten Dying Cities. However, over the past five years, Grand Rapids has also become internationally known for ArtPrize, an art competition in which public voting determines the winning entry.
ArtPrize began in 2009 as the brainchild of Rick DeVos. Rick is the grandson of Amway founder, Richard DeVos, and the son of former Republican gubernatorial candidate, Rich DeVos. His plan was to turn private buildings in downtown Grand Rapids into public art venues, without the involvement of any city, county or state goverment. Anyone who could find a venue to display their piece could enter the competition–there were to be no curators or selection committees. The public voted for individual entries over two weeks to whittle entries to a panel of ten, then vote over an additional week to determine the $200,000 prize winner. Members of the public could vote via cell phone as they walked around downtown, viewing the entries in a variety of venues.
Over the past years, ArtPrize entries have included traditional pieces, such as paintings, pencil and ink drawings, photography and sculpture. However, other entries have included large mobiles located on islands in the Grand River, dance pieces performed in public spaces, balloon creations floating in building atriums, and ladders hanging from cables strung between buildings. The variety and number of entries has increased yearly, drawing crowds over 300,000 during the 19 day event.
The event planners have experienced problems and learned from mistakes. In 2009, the first year of ArtPrize, area businesses were wholly unprepared for the number of visitors. Garbage cans were overflowing and restaurants closed as they ran out of food to serve. Today, downtown is scattered with food carts at strategic locations and the city placed portable bathroom facilities throughout the area. Vacant buildings have been repurposed into museum-quality venues, while vacant lots and blank exterior wall spaces have become home for permanent installations. In many places, art has revitalized the city center.
Locals and downtown residents complain about the crowds and lack of parking, as well as the occasional pedestrian wandering into the traffic lanes during rush hour in order to get the perfect photo of a steampunk pig. Many others complain of the quality of entries. Does a penny made of pennies really qualify as art? A bottle made of bottle caps? There have also been complaints about the proliferation of religious art pieces. However, it could just be that some artists recognize that a number of artists simply recognize the bias of their audience, a large number of whom are members of the Christian Reformed Church, based in West Michigan.
The 2013 event includes the publicly voted award, as well as juried awards, with a total cumulative amount of $560,000. The top 10 entries are to be announced at 1 p.m. on Sunday, September 29. Visitors will be able to see all entries until October 6, when the winner will be announced. Venues are located throughout downtown and outlying areas. The ArtPrize website has excellent recommendations for transportation and places to stay, as well as ongoing events.
The three pieces above are all in the Top 25 of ArtPrize in 2013. According to recent news announcements, only the quilt of Sleeping Bear Dunes pictured above is currently in the Top 10 and is still available for voting.
All photos taken by the author.
