My Day at Art Prize
On September 26 my boyfriend, a friend and I ventured to Grand Rapids to see what Art Prize was all about. Ever since opening on the 23rd, we had heard nothing but raving about how amazing the event was and had to see it for ourselves. When we got there, we were more than stunned. I was like a child in a candy store, looking around at all of the different pieces of artwork trying to choose my favorite.

Our adventure, started on the outskirts of the 3 mile section of Grand Rapids that held the Art Prize event. Our goal was to see as much of the art as we could before dark. We started by walking down Monroe Ave, stopping anywhere with an Art Prize sign out front.

Being from the area, two of us had been around Downtown Grand Rapids many times so we were all comfortable simply wandering where the signs led. The weather was nice which gave us even more incentive to explore. I am quite glad we were able to do this because it enabled us to see a number works of art that many others simply passed by for the larger venues. After all, that was what Art Prize was supposed to be all about, seeing an array of different types of art created using a multitude of mediums and styles. Some of the pieces we saw were more traditional while others were more abstract giving everyone something to appreciate at the event.

We walked in and out of buildings, up and down streets, and eventually we ended up at the other end of the event. Since we had yet to see the much talked about Old Federal Building, the headquarters of the entire event, we turned around and headed back. On the way, we stopped by the B.O.B. and its chaos, crossed the Grand River via the Blue Bridge with its large sculptures, passed the Grand Rapids Museum and Gerald R. Ford Museum, crossed the river again and eventually ended at the Old Federal Building. Though there were so many wonderful pieces of art to see there, and all around the Art Prize event, one of my favorite parts was drawing a line and getting to contribute to the artwork myself. Rebecca Klobucher’s “A Line” allowed, and asked, event goers to help complete the goal of drawing a line in chalk along the cracks in the streets of Grand Rapids. The line started inside the Old Federal Building with the goal of making it the almost 3 miles to Wealthy Street. Everyone who participated had their name put up on the wall at the start of the line. I got to draw my line along the cracks, I got my name on the wall, and I got to be a part of Art Prize.

7.5 hours and 9 miles of walking later, our day at Art Prize ended. We came, we saw, we participated, and then we drove home, physically exhausted but mentally inspired.

Dan Watts by his ceramic tile prints of photographs he took around the world.
While we viewed this piece, Watts was there answering questions and telling stories about the adventures he and his wife went on around the world to take these photographs and the work that went into transferring them onto the ceramic tiles.

Some of My Favorites
He Speaks Softly by Ayla Kindle (Free Spirit Worship Center)
Raspberries by Juliane Shibata (Brass Works Building)
Circular System 3 by Ashley Lieber (Brass Works Building)
BigThink by Lou Rizzolo (Grand Rapids City Hall Plaza Level)
Grand Rapids’ Sister City Collage by Dan Watts (JW Marriot)
Ghost City #1 and Ghost City #2 by Tim Portlock (West Michigan Center for Arts & Technology)
Gray Whale by Shay Church (West Michigan Center for Arts & Technology)
La Grande Bébé by Jonathan Haner and Teresa Holmberg (The B.O.B)
Rhinoceros Head 2 by Yong-Ho Ji