Tag Archives: Art Prize

New Founders Beer sends Proceeds to ArtPrize

August 5, 2015Local Business, Local FoodArt Prize, ArtPrize, Founders Brewing, Spectra TrifectaJoanne

Founders Brewing Co. today announced it would introduce Spectra Trifecta, brewed in the traditional Kolsch style, this September. Proceeds from the sale of this new beer will benefit ArtPrize, the world’s largest art competition that takes place annually in Grand Rapids, Mich. Spectra Trifecta will be sold in 12 oz. bottles in Michigan, Wisconsin, greater New York City and greater Chicago with a suggested retail price of $9.99 per 6-pack. Drafts will be sent throughout Founders’ distribution footprint.

In April 2013 the two organizations inked a deal that made Founders the official brewery of ArtPrize for the next five years. Last year’s release was Mosaic Promise, and the 2013 release was Inspired Artist Black IPA.

“I love coming up with the recipe for the ArtPrize beer every year,” said Founders Brewmaster Jeremy Kosmicki. “For the past two years, I’ve worked on our pilot system to develop an approachable, lower alcohol beer with tons of flavor. This year’s beer is brewed using a different fermentation process than what we usually use, and is made with some fun, nontraditional ingredients.”

Brewed in the traditional Kolsch style, which requires fermenting ale yeast at a colder temperature and gives the beer a clean finish without fruity yeast esters. This bright, golden beer is brewed with a trifecta of natural ingredients: earthy, floral and slightly sweet chamomile; a touch of citrusy lemongrass; and a hint of spicy fresh ginger. At 5.9% ABV and 20 IBUs, it’s delightfully refreshing.

Founders Family members were given the opportunity to submit their portfolios to find an artistic match for the Spectra Trifecta label, without knowing anything about the beer.

Alexis Brooke’s nature-inspired pen and ink drawings fit well with the character of this beer, so she was selected to create the label, with a focus on illustrating the beer’s special ingredients. Alexis is a Grand Rapids native and has been a Founders employee since fall 2014, working in the deli and on the catering team. She created this mixed media piece with markers, ink and watercolors.

Proceeds from the sale of Spectra Trifecta will support the future programming of the ArtPrize organization. ArtPrize is an international art competition, open to any artist and decided by public vote. Its mission is to promote critical dialogue and collaboration through new, creative ideas among a large and diverse population of people.

As an innovator in redefining what beer can be, Founders believes that experimentation is central to the human experience—whether one experiments with grains and hops or markers and watercolors—and that sharing one’s creation with the public is a brave act worth celebrating.

“Founders is now undoubtedly one of the finest craft brewers not only in Michigan but in the entire United States,” said Christian Gaines, executive director of ArtPrize. “We’re immeasurably proud to call Founders the official ArtPrize Brewery and share in the excitement of their new special release, Spectra Trifecta—a culmination of our partnership, built upon a mutual passion for our community and the creativity that resides within it.”

More than 400,000 people are expected to attend ArtPrize Seven this fall.

Spectra Trifecta will be available for a limited time starting on Sunday, September 13, in Michigan, Wisconsin, metro NYC and Chicagoland in bottles and across Founders’ entire distribution footprint on draft. It will be released in the brewery’s taproom on draft and in bottles starting on Monday, September 14. Spectra Trifecta will be featured at official ArtPrize events.

This year marks the seventh edition of ArtPrize, which will take place Sept. 23–Oct. 11, 2015. The Founders taproom will be a venue for the seventh year running.

ArtPrize Announces 2015 Participating Artists, Venues & Curatorial Fellows

July 7, 2015Area Education, Local EntertainmentArt PrizeJoanne

ArtPrize, the radically open international art competition decided by public vote and expert jury, is pleased to announce the participating artists and venues paired at the close of the Connections period, when artists and venues independently organize the city-wide exhibition. Concurrent with this announcement, ArtPrize is also pleased to announce the 25 recipients of the Artist Seed Grants presented by the Frey Foundation, as well as the Curatorial Fellows for the inaugural Fellowship for Emerging Curators program. The $500,000 competition is slated to take place from September 23-October 11, 2015 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.A total of 1,649 artists from 48 countries and 42 U.S. states submitted 1,554 entries, a slight but notable increase over 2014, for the 7th edition of the world’s largest art competition. Additionally, the growing scope of ArtPrize is reflected in a 21% increase of international artist entries over 2014, totaling 137, with Japan taking the lead in international representation at ArtPrize Seven. In the U.S., Midwest states with the most participating artists include Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota while leading states outside the Midwest include California, New York, Florida, Colorado and Georgia.Participating artists’ works, entered under one of four categories (2-D, 3-D, Time-Based and Installation), will be displayed in 162 venues located within the three-square-mile jurisdiction of downtown Grand Rapids. Artists and venues are matched in a collaborative curatorial process during an open ‘Connections’ period hosted online at artprize.org.A complete list of participating artists and venues can be found at: artprize.org/entries.Artist Seed Grants were presented for the second year in a row by the Frey Foundation, drawing 149 applications from registered ArtPrize artists hoping for one of 25 grants valued at $2,000 each. A panel of art critics and experts, including Nicole Caruth, writer, curator and editor of Art:21 Magazine; Lisa Freiman, Director of Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond; Reed Kroloff, architect and Director of the Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum; Scott Stulen, Curator of Audience Experiences and Performance at Indianapolis Museum of Art; Joe Becherer, curator at Frederick Meijer Gardens; Paul Amenta, curator of SiTE:LAB; Dana Friis-Hansen, director of Grand Rapids Art Museum; Miranda Lash, curator of contemporary art at The Speed Art Museum; and Cezanne Charles, Director of Creative Industries at Creative Many — reviewed the applications, seeking ambitious entries from artists who demonstrated both financial need and artistic merit. The panel selected the following 25 winning artists:

Faig Ahmed, “Embroidery Space”
Jarrod Beck, “Uplift”
José Carlos Casado, “Sacrifice”
Daniel Rothbart, “Oculus”
Diana Shpungin, “Drawing of a House (Triptych)”
Tomas Rivas, “Geometric Flood”
Nick Kline, “Pilgrimage”
Jessica Bonenfant Coogan, “Disembodied Woman”
Mandy Cano Villalobos, “Undocumented Histories”
Megan Pitcher, “Breakwall”
Kora Radella, “For the toward”
Filippo Tagliati, “Site #8”
Sara Dittrich, “Physical Arrangement for String Trio”
Mark Rumsey, “Rumsey Street Office of the Archivist”
Mark Dean Veca, TBD
Judith BRAUN, “As Above”
Jane Cassidy, “Brumaire is the color”
Daniel Elkin, “Straw Sun Space”
Ritsu Katsumata, “In the Beginning”
Armando Ramos, “Kind Regards”
Zach Mory, “Swell”
LaMarre And Dancers Featuring James Cornish, “They Were Displaced… And Again”
Ryan C. Doyle, “Activi-Tree”
Karen Lemmert, “345 RGB”
Michael Peoples, “The Great Race”

ArtPrize also announced the ArtPrize Fellowship for Emerging Curators program, debuting this year. The program gives up-and-coming curators the opportunity to work alongside an established curator at an ArtPrize institutional venue during the seventh annual event. The participating venues for this inaugural year include Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM), SiTE:LAB, Urban Institute for Contemporary Art (UICA) and Kendall College of Art and Design (KCAD).

Four Fellows were selected by ArtPrize and its partner institutions’ curatorial teams. Each Fellow will not only assist in curating and creating the venues’ ArtPrize Seven exhibition, but will also curate his or her own ArtPrize exhibition this fall, with the mentorship of the institutional curator.

The $40,000 in grant funding will be divided evenly among the participating venues and their respective Fellows, to aid in the planning and execution of their ArtPrize Seven exhibitions.

The inaugural four recipients of the Curatorial Fellowship are:

Hunter Bridwell, who holds a B.F.A. from Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University (KCAD), will work under the mentorship of curator Ron Platt at the Grand Rapids Art Museum.

Amy Wilson, artistic director and founder of Dance in the Annex (winner of the ArtPrize 2014 Time-Based juried award) will work with curator Paul Amenta at SiTE:LAB.

Ethan Ross, with an M.F.A. from KCAD, will work alongside Heather Duffy, curator at UICA.

Elizabeth Hertl, who curated the ArtPrize 2014 exhibition at Cathedral Square, will work with Michele Bozak, curator at KCAD.

The Art Prize Voice Project Aims to Inspire Community-Wide Vocal Performance

September 25, 2014Local EntertainmentArt PrizeJoanne

The open call to choirs and vocal groups to organize a community-wide processional of voices from the Grand Rapids Civic Theater to Rosa Parks Circle at the culmination of the 2014 ArtPrize Awards.

ArtPrize, the radically open, international art competition today announced the ArtPrize Voice Project, a collaborative performance of an original vocal composition, will be performed in a processional from the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre to Rosa Parks Circle on October 10 at 9:00 p.m. EDT, immediately following the announcement of the winners of ArtPrize 2014. ArtPrize has opened a call to any choir that would like to participate.

“ArtPrize belongs to the artists, venues, volunteers, and visitors who participate throughout the 19 days,” commented Todd Herring, ArtPrize director of marketing and communications. “Bringing the entire community together in celebration through this vocal collaborative is a fitting way to close out the sixth ArtPrize event.”

The twofold 2014 ArtPrize Awards will include an intimate ceremony at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre broadcast live by WOOD TV8 at a city-wide street party at Rosa Parks Circle. Everyone is invited to join in the festivities as attendees celebrate and honor Artists, and reflect on the past 19 days of exploration, conversations, and camaraderie. Following the announcement of the ArtPrize 2014 Grand Prize Winners, the two celebrations will come together at Rosa Parks Circle as the attendees at Civic Theatre are led down Monroe Center by a crowdsourced choir of hundreds.

The chorus will begin at 9:00 p.m. EDT with one hundred voices resounding through the Civic Theatre, as local band Domestic Problems takes up the tune on the Rosa Parks Circle stage. As the choir proceeds outside of Civic Theatre and along Monroe Center, hundreds of additional voices will join in the revelry, filling the streets of downtown Grand Rapids with song.

“Seeing the the entire city embrace singing and the art of music will be truly awesome,” noted Dennis Rybicki, Diocesan Director of Liturgical Music at Cathedral Square and composer for the ArtPrize Voice Project. “I am honored to have been asked to write this procession that will close the ArtPrize Awards this year.”

Choirs interested in participating in this collaborative event can view clips of other choirs performing the composition as well as find details on the ArtPrize blog. Choir directors and members are invited to send their name, contact information, and choir size to music@artprize.org to join in the festivities commemorating the close of the sixth annual ArtPrize event.

The 2014 ArtPrize Awards will take place on October 10. The city-wide celebration, a collaborative effort with WOOD TV8, will begin at 5:00 p.m. EDT in Rosa Parks Circle with live bands including Domestic Problems and Troll For Trout, several local food truck options, and Founders beer for those attendees 21 and over.

ArtPrize 2014 will take place from September 24 to October 12 in downtown Grand Rapids, where 1,536 artist entries will vie for a combination of public vote and juried awards totaling $560,000. For more information, please visit artprize.org.

ABOUT ARTPRIZE

ArtPrize is an international art competition, open to any artist and decided by public vote. It invites artists to try out new ideas on a large and diverse population of people. It seeks to broaden the critical dialogue around contemporary art by awarding the world’s largest art prize, at $560,000. Registered artists and venues connect online at artprize.org and agree to present the artwork for public display during the 19-day event. The public votes using mobile devices and the web to distribute $260,000, while an additional $300,000 in juried awards are decided by a group of international art experts. ArtPrize 2014 will include 1,536 entries representing 51 countries and 42 U.S. states and territories. ArtPrize 2013 attracted more than 400,000 active participants. Since its inception, individuals of all backgrounds have cast more than 1.7 million votes for public art.

ArtPrize is made possible in part through the generous support of many organizations. Corporate Premier Leadership sponsors include Amway, Founders Brewing Company, Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University, Meijer, PNC Bank and The Rapid. Leadership sponsors include Consumers Energy, CWD Real Estate Investment, Deloitte, Haworth, The Iserv Company, Steelcase Inc., and Wolverine Worldwide.

Leading Foundation Supporters include The Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation, The Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation, The Douglas and Maria DeVos Foundation, The Frey Foundation, Grand Rapids Community Foundation, and The VanderWeide Family Foundation.

WORDS–A Suprisingly More Powerful Art-Form than Most

November 25, 2013Local Entertainment, Local FacesArt PrizeJoanne

A Visit with a Local Artist

By David Specht

Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder. This phrase, however, seems to exclude those individuals whom lack visual perception – an issue which The Diatribe, a contestant in this year’s ArtPrize, sought to resolve.

“The past few ArtPrizes have seen those who are blind and deaf in attendance,” said Azizi Jasper, one of seven members of The Diatribe. “But none of the ArtPrize entries have catered to them, so our entry engages these senses.”

The literal definition of the term diatribe is “a forceful and bitter attack against someone or something”- a definition that seems fit for a group of skilled wordsmiths who classify their entry, “Word,” as the anti-ArtPrize ArtPrize exhibit. The group features a talented line-up of rappers, hip hop artists, poets, and story tellers, consisting of members Mitch “’PoetlikePoe” Burns, Venson Dix, G Foster “Autopilot” II, Duke Greene, Stephen “NoMic” Gren, Azizi Jasper and Marcel “Fable” Price.

The artwork was located in Dr. Grin’s Comedy Club on the third-floor of The B.O.B. in downtown Grand Rapids, “Word” features seven separate wooden panels, each displaying a combination of images, quotes, and biographies from the seven members of The Diatribe, with the quotes and biographies also available in braille form. The exhibit also features a video recording of the artists’ spoken word performances, along with a deaf-friendly signing of each performance within the video. The substance matter of the exhibit’s content caters to a number of audiences, ranging from impassioned expressions of emotional distress, to proactive ideas meant to spark nation-wide revolution.

The turnout was very good,” said Jasper. “This is the first year for me, and also the first time for all of us to come together, and I’ve formed lifelong relationships with some extremely talented and insightful writers.”

According to The Diatribe’s ArtPrize entry profile, their exhibit aims to transcend “from the venue, to the street, from our screens, to your screens, from our paper, to your fingers, from our fingers, to your eyes, life changing showcase, that will hopefully change the lives of many, and the outlook of Art Prize, for ALL.” One instance that stands out in Jasper’s mind has done just that.