YAY for Art Prize 2010! Yesterday was opening night and I have to say it was amazing, as expected!
In case you don’t know what Art Prize is, suffice it to say it’s the world’s largest and most social art prize ever! The entire city of Grand Rapids becomes a giant museum and artists can set up shop wherever they want to with pieces ranging from oil paintings to giant flying pigs to cities.
And the best thing about it is I’m the judge! You can text in or download the iPhone app to place your votes, and this year they are even incorporating QR codes. It truly turns Grand Rapids into a museum on steroids. It’s amazing.
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The thing I love most about Art Prize is the people it brings to Grand Rapids. The majority of the artists stick around their piece for the entire 2.5 weeks so you are able to get to know them and understand why they crafted the piece the way they did. It’s so interesting to hear their stories and their passion for what they do.
The Detroit Free Press wrote an article “ArtPrize: Grand Rapids overrun by creativity” which talks about the buzz around Art Prize which was part of my inspiration for this post. The article talks about the more than 1,700 artists from 21 countries who are participating in Art Prize this year. Really, it’s pretty incredible and completely visionary. It takes away the sometimes stodgy feel of a traditional museum and incorporates first time artists with seasoned veterans.
My favorite conversation of the day was with a woman who was helping one of the artists, James Adley. She commented on the different perspectives people have of the art they are viewing and how it is such a personal experience, looking at art and feeling the way it impacts you on a personal level. That’s my favorite thing about museums and complicated pieces, the piece can be one thing to you one day based on your emotional state and another thing the next day.
It is interesting how it can mean something different to every person who experiences it. As I was walking around with my friend she kept gravitating to the pieces that come across as real life images, something that is a very literal representation of what the artist was looking at and while she was voting in a thumbs up, I seriously considered a thumbs down. I realized I am more drawn to abstract pieces that make me scratch my head in wonder, “What was on this persons mind when they created this?” For me, a black and white photo is more meaningful than a painting depicting a moment in time. Maybe that’s because my dad’s an amazing photographer, who knows?!
Regardless…Art Prize, I plan on enjoying you every day until you’re done and will patiently wait until your return in 2011!
