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Art contest in Grand Rapids, Michigan
ArtPrize is an art competition and festival in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Anyone over the age of 18 can display their art, and any space within the three-square-mile ArtPrize district can be a venue. There are typically over 160 venues such as museums, galleries, bars, restaurants, hotels, public parks, bridges, laundromats, auto body shops, and more.
ArtPrize lasts for 19 days beginning in late September, and during each festival $500,000 in cash prizes are awarded based on public voting and a jury of art experts.
ArtPrize was created in 2009 by Rick DeVos, the son of Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos and United States Secretary of EducationBetsy DeVos. The DeVos family contributes approximately $560,000 annually to the ArtPrize budget. In 2017, the festival's connection to the DeVos family's wealth and their conservative politics was criticized by artist Eric Millikin in his “Made of Money” installation, placed within ArtPrize.
In 2014, The Art Newspaper listed ArtPrize as one of the most-attended "big ticket" art events (those where visitors are often counted more than once), with ArtPrize's attendance of 440,000 being roughly one quarter of the 1.6 million who attended the Russian Imperial Costume exhibition at the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. ArtPrize was highlighted along with Slows Bar BQ and the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park as one of the reasons to visit Grand Rapids in The New York Times’ "52 Places To Go in 2016."
In 2018, ArtPrize announced the Project exhibition to showcase larger works and planned to hold ArtPrize every other year, though the Project 1 event in 2019 experienced substantially less visitors. The twelfth ArtPrize was postponed in 2020 with officials citing the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 event ran from September 15 to October 2, 2022, with many visitors criticizing the smaller scale of works present.
Concept
Thousands of ArtPrize visitors gather in Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids.
ArtPrize was conceived by Rick DeVos as an untraditional art contest with its goals being: any artist in the world could compete; anyone with property in downtown Grand Rapids could turn their space into a venue; and any visitor could vote for their favorite artwork. Event organizers would provide no selection committees or curators. And the largest cash prize in the art world would be awarded entirely by popular vote.
At the inaugural ArtPrize, held in 2009, the winners were determined solely by the public, voting from mobile devices and the ArtPrize website. In 2010, ArtPrize added categories judged by art experts, and in 2014 restructured the awards format bringing two parallel tracks of public vote and juried awards with equal prize amounts. The updated award structure includes two Grand Prizes of $200,000, one chosen by public vote and one selected by a panel of three arts experts. An additional $100,000 in awards are given to artists in four entry categories—Two-Dimensional, Three-Dimensional, Time-Based, and Installation—as well as the Outstanding Venue Juried Award for best curatorial presentation.
Visitors must attend the annual event in person in order to vote. They can either download the ArtPrize mobile app, free for iOS and Android devices, which uses location services to determine when a visitor has stepped into the three square-mile event district—or visit an ArtPrize HUB location to register in person. Each artist is assigned a 5-digit vote code which is posted near their entry during the event, and available both online and in the mobile app.
2009 competition
The 2009 exhibition occurred in a 3-square-mile (7.8 km) area of downtown Grand Rapids, from September 21 to October 9, 2009. 1,262 artists or artist collaboratives displayed their work in 159 venues. An estimated 200,000 attendees visited the event, with 334,219 total votes cast throughout the 19 days.
Participation
Open water no. 24 by Ran Ortner, ArtPrize 2009 Grand Prize winner
ArtPrize 2009 official participation numbers:
1,262 artist entries
159 venues
37,264 registered voters
334,219 total votes cast
200,000 (est.) visitors to Grand Rapids, Michigan
Public Vote Awards
The 2009 prizes, totaling to $449,000, were:
1st place: $250,000
2nd: $100,000
3rd: $50,000
4th through 10th: $7,000 each
Public Vote Top 10
On October 1, the top 10 entries were announced, and their ranking was announced October 8:
Open Water no.24 – Ran Ortner (displayed at The Old Federal Building)
Imagine That! – Tracy Van Duinen (displayed at the Grand Rapids Children's Museum)
Portraits – Eric Daigh (displayed at The Old Federal Building)
The Grand Dance – David Lubbers (displayed on the Grand River near the Blue Bridge)
Moose – Bill Secunda (displayed at The B.O.B.)
Nessie on the Grand – The Nessie Project (displayed on the Grand River near the Blue Bridge)
Field of Reeds – John Douglas Powers (displayed at The Old Federal Building)
The Furniture City Sets the Table for the World of Art – Sarah Grant (displayed on the Blue Bridge)
Ecstasy of The Scarlet Empress – Jason Hackenwerth (displayed at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (UICA))
winddancer 2 – Michael Westra (displayed on the Blue Bridge)
Surprise Awards
Two previously unannounced awards were handed out:
Curators Choice Award ($5000): salt & earth – Young Kim, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Sustainability Award ($2500): The Image Mill: Sustainable Cinema #1 by Scott Hessels
2010 competition
The 2010 event took place from September 22 to October 10. The event introduced "Exhibition Centers," local cultural institutions featuring professional curation. Each ArtPrize Exhibition Center was required to host voter registration/activation as well as a retail presence. ArtPrize sought to have at least one Exhibition Center in each downtown Grand Rapids neighborhood.
Participation
Lure / Wave Grand Rapids by Beili Liu
ArtPrize 2010 official participation numbers:
1,713 artist entries
193 venues
21 countries and 44 U.S. states
44,912 registered voters
465,538 votes cast
250,000 (est.) visitors to Grand Rapids, Michigan
Public Vote Awards
The 2010 prizes, which were decided by public vote, totaled $449,000, were:
1st place: $250,000
2nd: $100,000
3rd: $50,000
4th through 10th: $7,000 each
Public Vote Top 10
On September 30, the 2010 Top 10 entries were announced, and their rankings were revealed during the Winners Announcement on October 7:
Event organizers announced the addition of four juried awards for ArtPrize 2010. Event organizers noted that, depending on sponsor availability, more juried awards might be added to the program.
Categories and winners
Two-Dimensional: Garden Party, Chez Hatfield – Andrew Lewis Doak and Adrian Clark Hatfield, Royal Oak, Michigan
Three-Dimensional: XLoungeSeries – Mark Wentzel, Atlanta, Georgia
Time/Performance: The Jettisoned – Yoni Goldstein, Chicago, Illinois
Urban Space: Plan B – Rick Beerhorst and Rose Beerhorst, Andre Beaumont and Mike Hoyte, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Dean of Graduate Studies for the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)
Three-Dimensional Work
Xenia Kalpaktsoglou
Curator and co-director of the Athens Biennale
Time/Performance-Based Work
Judith Barry
Director of the MFA program at the Art Institute of Boston
Use of Urban Space
Jeff Speck
city planner, architectural designer, author and former Director of Design at the National Endowment for the Arts
2011 competition
The 2011 event ran from September 21 to October 9. The biggest change to the competition was the addition of an exhibition center dedicated to performance art—St. Cecilia Music Society. The organization was also the recipient of a $100,000 Our Town grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Participation
The Metaphorist Project by Tracey Van Duinen
ArtPrize 2011 official participation numbers:
1,582 artist entries
164 venues
39 countries and 43 U.S. states
38,811 registered voters
383,106 votes placed
322,000 visitors to Grand Rapids, Michigan
Public Vote Awards
The 2011 prizes, which were decided by public vote, totaled $449,000, were:
1st place: $250,000
2nd: $100,000
3rd: $50,000
4th through 10th: $7,000 each
Public Vote Top 10
On September 30, the 2010 Top 10 entries were announced, and their rankings were revealed during the Winners Announcement on October 6:
In addition to awards distributed as a result of a public vote, the organization distributed seven juried awards for ArtPrize 2011. An award dedicated to an outstanding venue was added in 2011. Each juried award winner received $7,000.
Categories and winners
Two-Dimensional: One Ordinary Day of an Ordinary Town – Mimi Kato, St. Louis, Missouri
Senior Curator, Hammer Museum in Los Angeles Calif.
Three-Dimensional Work
Glenn Harper
Editor-in-Chief, Sculpture magazine
Time/Performance-Based Work
Kathleen Forde
Curator of Time-Based Arts at the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) in Troy, N.Y.
Use of Urban Space
Reed Kroloff
Director of the Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum
International Award
Nuit Banai
Art historian and critic, Tufts University
Sustainability Award
Susan Lyons
Principal of Susan Lyons Designs
Outstanding Venue
Reed Kroloff
Director of the Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum
2012 competition
The 2012 ArtPrize competition ran from September 19 to October 7. The event introduced new changes to the ArtPrize Juried Awards program, including category prizes valued at $20,000 (up from $7,000) and a first-ever $100,000 Juried Grand Prize, decided by panel of three art experts.
Elephants by Adonna Khare, ArtPrize 2012 Public Vote Grand Prize Winner
Participation
ArtPrize 2012 official participation numbers:
1,517 artist entries
161 venues
46 countries 41 U.S. states and territories
47,160 voters
412,560 votes placed
375,000 (est.) visitors to Grand Rapids in 19 days
Public Vote Awards
The 2012 prizes, which were decided by public vote, totaled $360,000, were:
1st place: $200,000
2nd: $75,000
3rd: $50,000
4th through 10th: $5,000 each
Public Vote Top 10
The top 10 entries were determined by a record 412,560 votes, and announced on October 10.
Song of Lift – Martijn van Wagtendonk, Colbert, Ga.
Rebirth of Spring – Frits Hoendervanger, Detroit, Mich.
Stick-to-it-ive-ness: Unwavering pertinacity; perseverance – Richard Morse, Fennville, Mich.
Lights in the Night – Mark Carpenter and Dan Johnson, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Life in Wood – Dan Heffron, Traverse City, Mich.
Origami – Kumi Yamashita, Brooklyn, N.Y.
The Chase – Artistry of Wildlife, Marlette, Mich.
Return to Eden – Sandra Bryant, Lynden, Wa.
City Band – Chris LaPorte, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Juried Awards
In addition to awards distributed as a result of a public vote, the organization distributed seven juried awards, totaling $200,000, during ArtPrize 2012 in five categories and a juried grand prize. Each category winner received $20,000. The Juried Grand Prize winner was awarded $100,000. The award was decided by a three-member jury panel.
Three-Dimensional: More or Less – ABCD 83, Chicago, Ill.
Time/Performance: Three Phases – Complex Movements, Detroit, Mich.
Urban Space: Flight – Dale Rogers, Haverhill, Ma.
Venue: SiTE:LAB – Curator: Paul Amenta, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Ox-Bow Residency: Collective Cover Project – Ann Morton, Phoenix, Ariz.
Jurors
Award
Juror
Title
Juried Grand Prize
Jerry Saltz
Senior Art Critic, New York Magazine
Tom Eccles
Director, the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College
Theaster Gates
Chicago-based artist and community activist
Two-Dimensional Work
Tyler Green
Editor, Modern Art Notes; Columnist, Modern Painters
Three-Dimensional Work
Lisa Frieman
Chair, contemporary department, Indianapolis Museum of Art
Time/Performance-Based Work
Cathy Edwards
Director of Performance Programs, the International Festival of Arts & Ideas
Use of Urban Space
Susan Szenasy
Editor-in-Chief, Metropolis magazine
2013 competition
The 2013 ArtPrize competition ran from September 18 to October 6.
Participation
ArtPrize 2013 official participation numbers:
1,805 artist entries
169 venues
47 countries and 45 U.S. states and territories
49,000 voters
446,850 votes cast
400,000 (est.) visitors to Grand Rapids, Michigan
Public Vote Awards
The 2013 prizes, which were decided by public vote, totaled $360,000, were:
1st place: $200,000
2nd: $75,000
3rd: $50,000
4th through 10th: $5,000 each
Public Vote Top 10
The top 10 entries were determined by a record 446,850 votes, and announced on October 4.
Sleeping Bear Dune Lakeshore – Ann Loveless, Frankfort, Mich.
Polar Expressed – Anni Crouter, Flint, Mich.
UPlifting – Andy Sacksteder, Port Clinton, Ohio
Dancing With Mother Nature – Paul Baliker, Palm Coast, Fla.
Botanical Exotica a Monumental Collection of the Rare beautiful – Jason Gamrath, Seattle, Wash.
Earth Giant – Benjamin Gazsi, Morgantown, W.V.
Myth-or-Logic – Robin Protz, New Hartford, Conn.
Finding Beauty in Bad Things: Porcelain Vine – Fraser Smith, St Pete Beach, Fla.
Taking Flight – Michael Gard, San Francisco, Calif.
Tired Pandas – Nick Jakubiak, Battle Creek, Mich.
The world's an untranslatable language II (for Charles Wright) by Charles Matson Lume, nominated to the Juried Award shortlist for Three-Dimensional work
Juried awards
In addition to awards distributed as a result of a public vote, the organization distributed seven juried awards, totaling $200,000, during ArtPrize 2013 in five categories and a juried grand prize. Each category winner received $20,000. The Juried Grand Prize winner was awarded $100,000. The award was decided by a three-member jury panel.
Juried Grand Prize winner
Ecosystem – Carlos Bunga, Barcelona, Spain
Category Winners
Two-Dimensional: Europa and the Flying Fish – Kyle Staver, New York, N.Y.
Three-Dimensional: Through the Skies for You – Kevin Cooley / Phillip Andrew Lewis, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Time/Performance: The Last Post – Shahzia Sikander, New York, N.Y.
Executive director and curator of the Storefront for Art and Architecture
Venue
Alice Gray Stites
Chief curator of 21c Museum
Controversy
David Dodde's Fleurs et riviere was an entry that placed magnetic flowers on the Alexander Calder sculpture La Grande Vitesse. After getting complaints, the City of Grand Rapids contacted the Calder Foundation to get their input. Calder's grandson, Alexander S. C. Rower, replied: "The initiative is luckily temporary and reflects an utter lack of understanding and respect of Calder's genius." The city decided to have the flowers removed before the end of the exhibition.
2014 competition
The 2014 ArtPrize competition ran from September 24 to October 12.
Participation
ArtPrize 2014 official participation numbers:
1,536 artist entries
174 venues
41,956 voters
398,714 votes placed
441,000+ (est.) visitors to Grand Rapids, Michigan
Public Vote Awards
The public vote determined three $20,000 category winners and a $200,000 grand prize winner. The grand prize winner does not receive $20,000 for their category win.
The jury awarded five $20,000 category winners and a $200,000 grand prize winner. There was a tie for the grand prize, so each winner received $100,000.
Juried Grand Prize winners
A first in ArtPrize history, the Grand Prize Jury recognized two outstanding works—splitting the $200,000 Juried Grand Prize.
The Hair Craft Project – Sonya Clark, Richmond, Virginia
This is also the first time the opinions of both the voting public and the jury of art experts converged, awarding a top prize to one piece – Intersections by Anila Quayyum Agha.
Category Award winners
Two-Dimensional: The Hair Craft Project – Sonya Clark, Richmond, Virginia
Three-Dimensional: Tengo Hambre – Maximo Gonzalez, Mexico City, Mexico
Time-Based: respirador (breather) – Dance in the Annex, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Installation: Symptomatic Constant – Julie Schenkelberg, Brooklyn, New York
Outstanding venue: SiTE:LAB @ The Morton, – Curator: Paul Amenta, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Jurors
Award
Juror
Title
Juried Grand Prize
Susan Sollins
Executive director of Art21
Leonardo Drew
Artist
Katharina Grosse
Artist
Two-Dimensional
Andrew Russeth
Three-Dimensional
Shamim Momin
Time-Based
Hrag Vartanian
Installation
Ariel Saldivar
Outstanding venue
Tumelo Mosaka
2015 competition
The 2015 ArtPrize (also known as ArtPrize Seven) competition ran from September 23 to October 11.
Participation
ArtPrize 2015 official participation numbers:
1,649 artist entries
162 venues
35,481 registered voters
422,763 votes cast
438,000+ (est.) visitors to Grand Rapids, Michigan
Public Vote Awards
The public vote determined three $12,500 category winners and a $200,000 grand prize winner. The grand prize winner does not receive $12,500 for their category win.
Time-Based: That Was Then – Prince Thomas, Houston, Texas
Installation: In Our Element – Ruben Ubiera, Miami, Florida
Outstanding venue: SiTE:LAB @ The Rumsey Street Project, – Curator: Paul Amenta, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Jurors
The jurors were:
Award
Juror
Title
Juried Grand Prize
Dan Cameron
Michael Rakowitz
Lisa Freiman
Two-Dimensional
Justine Ludwig
Three-Dimensional
Sarah Urist Green
Time-Based
Shari Frilot
Installation
Robin Cembalest
Outstanding venue
Steven Matijcio
2016 Competition
The 2016 ArtPrize competition, also known as ArtPrize Eight, took place from September 21 to October 9.
Participation
1,453 artist entries
170 venues
37,433 registered voters
380,119 votes cast
507,000+ (est.) visitors to Grand Rapids, Michigan
Public Vote Awards
The public vote determined three $12,500 category winners and a $200,000 grand prize winner. The grand prize winner does not receive $12,500 for their category win.
Exhibitions Curator at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago
Outstanding Venue
Steve Dietz
Founder, President, and artistic director of Northern Lights.mn in Minneapolis
2017 Competition
The 2017 ArtPrize competition, also known as ArtPrize Nine, took place from September 20 to October 8.
Participation
'Red Dirt Rug Monument' by Rena Detrixhe1,346 artist entries
175 venues
43,010 registered voters
384,053 votes cast
522,000+ (est.) visitors to Grand Rapids, Michigan
Public Vote Awards
The public vote determined three $12,500 category winners and a $200,000 grand prize winner. The grand prize winner does not receive $12,500 for their category win.
Public Vote Grand Prize Winner
A. Lincoln – Richard Schlatter, Battle Creek, Michigan
Category Award Winners
Two-Dimensional: A. Lincoln -Richard Schlatter, Battle Creek, Michigan
Three-Dimensional: Lux Maximus Fused Glass, Copper, Bronze and Metal -Daniel Oropeza, Costa Mesa, California
Installation: Oil + Water -Ryan Spencer Reed, Ludington, Michigan; Richard App, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Time-Based: Red Dirt Rug Monument -Rena Detrixe, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Juried Awards
'Heartside Community Meal' by Seitu Jones
The jury awarded five $12,500 category winners and a $200,000 grand prize winner.
Juried Grand Prize Winner
The Heartside Community Meal – Seitu Jones, St. Paul, Minnesota
Category Award Winners
Two-Dimensional: Sofía Draws Every Day: Years 2, 3, and 4 -Sofía Ramírez Hernández, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Three-Dimensional: Flint -Ti-Rock Moore, New Orleans, Louisiana
Time-Based: Red Dirt Rug Monument -Rena Detrixhe, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Outstanding Venue: The Fed Galleries @ KCAD, Kendall College of Art and Design – Curator: Michele Bosak, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Jurors
'Oil + Water' by Ryan Spencer Reed & Richard App
The ArtPrize Nine jurors included:
Award
Juror
Title
Juried Grand Prize
Gaëtane Verna
Director of The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery in Toronto
Christopher Scoates
Director of Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum in Detroit
Gia Hamilton
Director at Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans
Two-Dimensional
Miranda Lash
Curator of Contemporary Art at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville
Three-Dimensional
Rachel Adams
Senior Curator of Exhibitions for the University at Buffalo Art Galleries
Installation
Anila Quayyum Agha
Artist, Associate Professor of Drawing at Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, and $300,000 Public Vote and Juried Award winner at ArtPrize 2014 for her work Intersections
Time-Based
Scott Stulen
Director and President of Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa
Outstanding Venue
Larry Ossei-Mensah
New York-based independent curator and cultural critic, co-founder of ARTNOIR
2018 Competition
The 2018 ArtPrize competition, also known as ArtPrize 10, ran from September 19 to October 7.
Important Dates
Item
Dates
Venue Registration
March 5 – April 5
Artist Registration
April 16 – June 7
Connections
April 25 – June 28
Volunteer Registration
Opens early-August
Preview Week
September 12–18
ArtPrize 10
September 19 – October 7
2019 Project 1
For 2019, ArtPrize began its "Project" exhibition series, with Project 1 running from September 7 to October 27. The concept was to alternate between ArtPrize and the Project series every year. While ArtPrize organizers described Project 1 as a success, crowds were much smaller and visitors criticized the event as being less festive. As Project 1 was concluding, the executive director of ArtPrize, Jori Bennett, announced that she would step down.
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