Event: ArtPrize 2014

"1001 Coffee Cup Stories" by Gwyneth Leech, 2014.

Mixed media on upcycled paper coffee cups.

At the Harris Building, 111 S. Division.

ArtPrize is the world’s largest art competition, and it's held annually in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  The competition culminates in a public vote that awards a top prize of two hundred thousand dollars to a winner and another one hundred sixty thousand to the next top ten pieces.  The event is almost entirely volunteer-run, and participating venues agree extend their hours during the competition's three-week run.  It's a fantastic event that the Michigan art community looks forward to all year round.  Here are a few of the pieces favored for a win this year.

 

"Wallwave vibration (anatomy of a diagram)" by Loris Cecchini, 2012

Polyester resin and paint, 87” diameter. 

At the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, 1000 East Beltline Ave NE.

We have a feeling Wallwave vibration is one of those pieces that photography cannot capture, which is why we’re so excited to see it in person.

Cecchini on his piece: ”In my most recent sculptures, the “Wallwave Vibrations” series, one loses the element of the object proper. The concern for alteration is concerned more particularly with the physical manifestation of the vibrations, expressed each time with different frequencies and intensities, wherein the visual pattern becomes “echo” of a phenomenon like a succession of waves on a liquid surface. In this direction it is as if the architecture, or a portion of it, is modified by the relationship between the sculpture and the wall.”

 "The Hair Craft Project" by Sonya Clark, 2014.

Photographs and sewn canvas, variable dimensions. 

At Kendall College of Art and Design, 17 Pearl St. NW.

We love when an artist’s work gives us a new perspective on things we see everyday. We’re very excited to check out Clark’s pieces and see the interplay between the glossy photographs and textured, sewn canvases.  

"Capitalism Works for Me" by Steve Lambert, 2011.

Wood, lights, digital components, 9’ h x 20’ w x 7’ d.

At Kendall College of Art and Design, 17 Pearl St. NW.

We think one of the most interesting aspects of this piece will be observing the public interacting with the sculpture: visitors to the piece will be able to weigh in on the statement “Capitalism works for me!” with a “True” or “False” vote, and voters will be invited to have their picture taken and speak briefly about why they voted a particular way. We’re curious to see if the piece sparks conversation in the way that Lambert intended! 

"Intersections" by Anila Quayyum Agha, 2013,.

Laser-cut wood, 6.5’ h x 6.5’ w x 6.5’ d.

At Grand Rapids Art Museum, 101 Monroe Center

Who wouldn’t want to be bathed in the amazing geometric light and shadow combinations created by Quayyum Agha’s Intersections? 

  

"Symptomatic Constant" by Julie Schenkelberg, 2014.

Mixed media, variable dimensions. 

At SiTE:LAB @ The Morton, 72 Monroe Center NW. 

From the pictures, Symptomatic Constant looks like a visual feast, simultaneously dark and playfully inventive. Schenkelberg calls it “a shipwreck in the Midwest”, and we’re excited to see her manipulations of the materials, which were all locally sourced from second-hand shops and recycling centers in Grand Rapids. 

"A Series of Handmade Japanese Paper Cut Sculptures" by Solo + Kojima, 2013.

Paper cut sculpture, 3m h x 3m w x 3m d. 

At the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, 303 Pearl St. NW. 

We are prepared to be completely amazed by these delicate, intricate animals cut from paper, which took over 2 years to create and 8 days to install at ArtPrize. 

"Self-Portrait as Bunnies (The Bathers)" by Alex Podesta, 2014.

Mixed media, 3’ h x 4.5’ w x 3.5’ d. 

In the Grand River, near the Pearl Street Bridge. 

Like something from a dream, albeit a pretty strange one, Podesta’s Bathers float peacefully in the middle of the Grand River. The picture above is surreal enough; we can’t wait to experience the piece in person. 

"playCAGE / The Fischer Configuration" by Stephen Duewecke, 2014.
Mixed media, 8’ h x 10” d, width variable.
At Fish Ladder Park, 634 Front Ave NW.
 

Duewecke’s playCAGE stretches the 6 strings of a guitar over 128 feet of two-by-fours, and encourages visitors to touch and make music with the piece. Let’s face it, when it comes to interactive artwork, the kid in us comes out to play. Bring on the dissonance! 

"From Afar It Is an Island" by Alisha Wessler, 2013.
Mixed media, variable dimensions.
At the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, 1000 East Beltline Ave NE.
 

Spare yet lovingly curated, we wish we had hours to spend examining and inventing narratives for the objects in Wessler’s From Afar It Is an Island. Presented as artifacts, the components of Wessler’s piece form a whole that raises questions about the stories we create about our personal histories. 

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