Recapping the first weekend of ArtPrize
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The crowds descended upon downtown Grand Rapids this past weekend for the third installment of ArtPrize. According to founder Rick DeVos, ArtPrize is all about “rebooting the conversation on art”. Based on the thousands of people who have already attended there is plenty to talk about.
There are over 1,500 artists exhibiting in a three square mile area of downtown. Works of art can be seen at store fronts, building lobbies, and outdoors. Many of the pieces are in one of the eight Exhibition Centers. These major venues are scattered around the downtown area, also including the Meijer Gardens on East Beltline. In addition to the Gardens the other Exhibitions Centers are Cathedral Square, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids Public Museum, Grand Valley State University’s Pew Campus, St. Cecelia’s Music Center, Women’s City Club and UICA.
As in past years the public gets to vote for the winners. People have to register in person at one of the Exhibition Centers. Once registered, attendees can vote on-line using computers or smart phones. There are also voting kiosks set up at various venues. During the first week and a half the public can vote for as many pieces as they want. As of Monday morning, over 193,000 votes have been cast. At the end of the first round the Top Ten vote getters are announced. During round two a person can only cast one vote for the work of art they would like to see awarded the top prize.
This year the top vote getters are separated by geographic area instead of being lumped into one group. There is the Top 25 in Center City, Heartside, Hillside, Westside, Monroe North and a Top Five at Meijer Gardens. First round voting continues until September 28th. The Top Ten will be announced on September 29th. Voting for the Top Ten runs until October 5th with the winner being announced on October 6th. More information is available at ArtPrize.org.