Since the Thursday’s announcement, ArtPrize news has been making the rounds and we can hear the press cycle moving on to other life threatening topics. (Damn those swine!)
Here’s a self-indulgent scrap book for the blog. (tear)
LA Times Quick Takes
Neatly tucked into an entertainment column, but it caught my Bel Air uncle’s attention as he sipped his Sunday morning coffee in a bath robe.
Certainly, for Andrew Keen and other critics who say the mob rule of new media is destroying culture, this must just represent another crumbling piliar of our civilization. But it will be fascinating to see how the public’s tastes differ from those of the aesthetes, and it’ll probably inspire more public interest in art.
We had a town hall last night at the UICA, which can be viewed above. Afterward the ArtPrize team took questions one-on-one out in the gallery, which is not in the video. Our main goal was to get through as many questions as possible, so we divided and conquered by having nine of us in the gallery talking to people, rather than taking questions one at a time in theater. For those watching the live stream and didn’t get the chance to see that part, please feel free to ask questions here.
If anybody was unable to come and would like us to have another town hall, mention that in the comments.
Questions that came up frequently afterward:
Q: How EXACTLY will I be able to find a venue?
A: Artprize.org is still under construction. By end of May, an artist will be able to search for a venue, click a link to contact that venue and begin discussing whether his/her work will be a good fit. If it is a good fit, artist and venue complete a Hosting Agreement.
Sign up now and we’ll send you an email when artist/venue matching begins.
Q: Can you vote more than once on a work of art?
A: No. You can vote on more than one work, but not more than once on the same piece.
Q: Do I need to have an image of the completed work?
A: First, think of your artist profile as an exhibition proposal. If you don’t have an image of the work you are proposing, you should upload a sketch or similar past work and indicate how the proposed work will be different. You can change the image when the work is complete.
Q: Can I contact a venue that’s not on artprize.org to see if they will participate?
A: Yes, by all means.
Q: How does a venue outside the boundary get involved?
A: We’re a little flexible on the boundary. Contact dave@artprize.org
If you sent an email to an address that ended with @artprize.org yesterday (4/23), it may not have reached us. (Did I mention artprize.org is a work in progress?)
The email bug has been squashed and you can reach us now. Please, resend your email if you suspect we didn’t receive it.
For Grand Rapids residents interested in ArtPrize with questions about participation as venue hosts or as artists, there will be a town hall meeting Monday, April 27 starting at 5:30pm in the UICA building.
ArtPrize executive director Jeff Meeuwsen will be on hand with the ArtPrize team to walk through the process and answer questions.
Email your questions beforehand to townhall@artprize.org.
We’ll be using the blog to make important announcements and feature certain artists and venues throughout the summer. We’ll also update you on new things added to artprize.org (you may have noticed it’s a work in progress). Check back to find out when artist/venue matching begins.
Just a few months ago we started working on ArtPrize in earnest. We’ve got a long way to go before September 23, when the event kicks off. We’d like hear your feedback .
Leave us a comment or email feedback@artprize.org. You can also email me for whatever reason, if you’re so inclined, paul at artprize.org.
ArtPrize goes public today announcing the world’s largest art prize will be awarded by a public vote. The event will happen in Grand Rapids, MI September 23 – October 10. The top prize is $250,000, 2nd place receives $100,000, 3rd receives $50,000 and $7,000 goes to 4th-10th place. The top ten finalists will be decided solely by number of votes.
The mission of ArtPrize is to “reboot a conversation between artists and the public on a grand scale.”
“I’ve been to events all over the world celebrating creativity and ideas.” says Rick DeVos, creator of ArtPrize, “I’ve also been an entrepreneur using technology to bring people together. I think the two can be combined. I see this is where culture is going.”
People attending ArtPrize can register to vote, then either go to artprize.org and vote online or vote using text message at the event. Artists are invited to register on artprize.org before July 31 and submit their work (one entry per artist).
How ArtPrize selects artists to compete is unusually open, it does not involve an official curator or committee. Different venues across the city will have different “hosts” with varying degrees of curatorial experience. Anyone who wants to host a venue and agrees to the minimum requirements can open a new venue. There is no limit to the amount of venues that can be opened. So, the number of artists who can participate is only limited by the amount of space that becomes available. These hosts select which artists will show in their venue. Artists are expected to connect directly with venue hosts on artprize.org to come to an agreement over showing their work.
According to Rick DeVos, “By decentralizing the selection of artists, I think it really boosts the chances for completely unknown artists to compete and amazing new voices to be discovered. ”
ArtPrize.org is the central hub for artists to find venues for their work (and vice versa) and to track votes live during the event. The website is up but still under construction. The ability on the website for artists and venues to match with each other is coming soon.
Registration for artists and venues begins today and runs through July 31, 2009. The ArtPrize event kicks off September 23. Winners are announced October 8. Closing day is October 10, 2009.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION OFFERS WORLD’S LARGEST ARTPRIZE Public invited to use text votes, decide winners
Grand Rapids, Mich. – April 23, 2009 – ArtPrize invites artists of all kinds from around the world to participate in an unprecedented competition that will award nearly one-half million dollars to prize winners, including $250,000 to the artist who receives the most public votes.
Details of ArtPrize, which will run from Sept. 23 through Oct. 10, were announced today from the competition’s host city of Grand Rapids, Mich. ArtPrize will have no formal jury, curator or judge. The public will decide who wins the prizes by voting, using mobile devices and the web.
“It’s time to reboot the conversation between artists and the public. ArtPrize will be a celebration of art, design, and innovation that will bring artists and the public together like never before,” said ArtPrize creator Rick DeVos. Read More »
Here’s a self-indulgent scrap book for the blog. (tear)
If you sent an email to an address that ended with @artprize.org yesterday (4/23), it may not have reached us. (Did I mention artprize.org is a work in progress?)
ArtPrize goes public today announcing the world’s largest art prize will be awarded by a public vote. The event will happen in Grand Rapids, MI September 23 – October 10. The top prize is $250,000, 2nd place receives $100,000, 3rd receives $50,000 and $7,000 goes to 4th-10th place. The top ten finalists will be decided solely by number of votes.