WKTV Staff
ArtPrize 10 is here which means for the next two and half weeks much of the community will be focused on and discussing art.
WKTV will be joining the conversation with WKTV VOICES. Introduced at ArtPrize Nine last year, VOICES is housed in a 1958 Airstream trailer and collects stories. Last year, it focused on collecting the stories of artists. This year, the trailer will again return to the corner of Lyon and Monroe, across from the Amway Grand Plaza, collecting stories of artists but also hosting a Voters Feedback Booth, where voters are encouraged to share what they voted on and why.
And what should participants expect to see at this year’s ArtPrize? Well, a few of the venues reached out to us with information about who will be at their venue.
Gerald R. Ford International Airport
5500 44th St. SE
Visitors and passengers coming through the airport will be see 14 exhibits on display at the
Gerald R. Ford International Airport. Art at the airport is on display upstairs along the mezzanine, in the indoors observation deck area, and in the east end of the terminal building near the valet ticket counter and exit to rental cars.
“We are thrilled to once again serve as a gathering place for ArtPrize –as a venue, a sponsor, and as a way to welcome artists and visitors into our great city,” said GFIA President & CEO Jim Gill. “The Ford Airport strives to be reflective of the people and events in West Michigan, and we have a chance to brighten up our space with local and national artwork that showcases many different types of art. We hope people take advantage of the art on display here and visit us during the competition whether as a traveler or just a general visitor.”
Among the feature pieces is “1934,” by Amiri Farris, a portrait of a young President Gerald R. Ford and teammate Willis Ward. This large size painting depicts how President Ford overcame mounting adversity and racial discrimination to hep a friend. Artist Tom Howing, who is battling cancer, worked with his autistic son, Matthew, to put his views of the world into a 3-D format display titled “Matthew’s View.” Also artist Elizabeth Paul Healey fled her home in North Carolina this past weekend as Hurricane Florence approached and is here with her piece “Fear Less.”
Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park
1000 E Beltline Ave NE, Grand Rapids
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park will host 16 contemporary sculptors in an innovative exhibition jointly organized by DisArt, a Grand Rapids based arts and cultural organization promoting the full participation of disabled people in and through the arts. The exhibition is titled “Process and Presence: Contemporary Disability Sculpture”.
Through examples of three-dimensional practice including sculpture, performance, installation and video art, this exhibition emphasizes the relationship between disability and the fundamental human experiences of change and embodiment. The exhibition offers audiences a survey of contemporary disability sculpture through artists whose work represents local, national and global perspectives on the experiences of living with disability.
“Process and Presence: Contemporary Disability Sculpture” will be free of charge during ArtPrize (Sept. 19 – Oct. 7). The exhibition areas will be open to the public during Meijer Gardens’ regular business hours. All other areas of Meijer Gardens observe regular hours and standard admission fees.
Grand Rapids Art Museum
101 Monroe Center St. NW
The Grand Rapids Art Museum’s ArtPrize 10 exhibition will showcase a broad range of contemporary art by local, regional, national and international artists—competing in every ArtPrize category: 2D, 3D, Time-based and Installation. The total number of artists/artist pairs is 10. The exhibition includes outdoor installations and large-scale nighttime projections on the building’s exterior, and also contains sculpture, painting and interactive performance works.
“Visitors to ArtPrize 10 at GRAM will find the Grand Rapids Art Museum’s most ambitious presentation yet—dazzling installations adapted to interior and exterior public spaces, technology-based interactive experiences, monumental sculpture and more,” commented GRAM Director and CEO Dana Friis-Hansen.
Several themes can be found within the artwork on view—Venezuelan artist, Saskia Jordá, uses her work as a call to action to end violence and hunger. Michigan-based artist John Gutsokey addresses loss, grief, and the aftermath of hate crimes, as well as gun violence, homophobia, violence against people of color and the transgender community, and LGBTQ rights. Arizona-based artist duo Lauren Strohacker and Kendra Sollars shed light on the displacement, reintroduction, and loss of wildlife in urban areas, and have collaborated with Blandford Nature Center to create their time-based entry, Animal Land.
Grand Rapids Public Museum
272 Pearl St. NW
The Grand Rapids Public Museum will once again host an outdoor exhibition in which the work of 17 artists will visually lend itself to the setting of the Museum grounds. Each year the GRPM curates a rewarding experience with approachable art that is intriguing, distinctive and engages the viewer’s capacity for awe and curiosity. Located in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids along the busy river walkway, the GRPM is able to offer a not-to-be-missed immersive, 24-hour experience.
During ArtPrize Ten the GRPM will be open with regular Museum hours and half off general admission fees. The GRPM will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays of ArtPrize. For more information about artists, exhibitions, special programming and tickets visit grpm.org.
