ArtPrize Blog
August 27th, 2009
For those of you interested in how ArtPrize came to decide on voter registration sites, it was driven by three motivating factors:
- Continue to support local arts institutions
- Have a variety of locations throughout the city
- Have enough people to staff registration sites
The third problem was the most difficult to navigate. A registrar will be a volunteer. Volunteers usually donate their time in 2-3 hour blocks. So, a quick look at the math:
- 1 day for 1 site with 3 stations = 9 volunteers
- 1 day for 14 sites with 3 stations = 126 volunteers
- 15 days for 14 sites with 3 stations = 1,890 volunteers
Of course, some volunteers will take more than one shift and not every site requires three stations operating every day–but you get a sense for the numbers we’re dealing with. Even half, 945 volunteers, just for registration would completely overwhelm all other volunteer coordinating efforts.
The decision for a voter registration site was made based on the site being a pre-existing, non-profit arts or civic institution committed to using their own volunteers to staff registration during their business hours. There are three exceptions to this rule: Read More »
August 24th, 2009
Whew!
I apologize things have been so quiet on the blog. It’s the result of a blizzard of activity happening here in the office. With the August 15 deadline passing, the activity has only increased and it looks like it will get busier with only a month to go before Opening Day on Sept 23.
What have we been working on? We’re in the final stages of nailing down a bunch of things many of you have been asking about: Voter Registration Sites and Events being at the top of the list. We’re planning on making those announcements later this week.
I know many venues, artists and local businesses are trying to plan events and print promotional materials. There are two things you should know about as you’re preparing those materials.
LOGO USAGE
There are two pieces ArtPrize provides for people preparing promotional materials for their own events:
1) The wordmark:
2) ArtPrize “Seals” (for artists, venues, sponsors and registration sites):
Artists/Venues can download the seal from your “You” page on artprize.org.
The ArtPrize logo (Orange image above the Capital A) is NOT intended for general use:
We know it’s out there, but we request to please avoid using it, if possible. (Don’t worry about printing all new postcards promoting yourself, if they’re already done.) Why? It’s the only mark we have to designate official ArtPrize events and materials, like the Opening Night event or Official Program Guide.
NEIGHBORHOOD DAYS
The ArtPrize District will be divided up into five neighborhoods (details coming soon) and we’ll have days for those neighborhoods to organize around. DO NOT WORRY if you planned something that’s not on your neighborhood day. It’s just a way to help people, say, on the Westside pick a day for parties, receptions, special deals at restaurants, et cetera when they’re concerned that their event may conflict with some other big event they don’t know about happening on the other side of town. That announcement is coming soon.
Stay tuned!
August 18th, 2009
Saturday at midnight, ArtPrize closed artist/venue matching with 1,261 artists secured for the event.
However, one artist had an unusual issue that our support team was in the process of resolving when that deadline passed. Hence, Herb Babcock is the one thousand, two hundred and sixty-second artist to secure a spot in the ArtPrize event.
Congratulations Herb!
August 14th, 2009
***11:59pm SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, IS THE DEADLINE FOR ARTIST/VENUE MATCHING***
Artists and Venues, be sure you know the final step after signing a Hosting Agreement!
FINAL STEP
Both artist and venue have to complete the offline/online parts of The Final Step, or this Sunday won’t be any fun.
OFFLINE
Artist & Venue complete and sign a Hosting Agreement
ONLINE (your Connections page)
- Venue clicks “Secure artist” on artprize.org
- Artist clicks “Secure venue” on artprize.org
FINISHED
Artist will appear on the Artist List as “Connected”
What happens if…
Artist did not secure a venue?
Any artist who has not secured a venue by 11:59pm Saturday, August 15, will not be eligible to compete in ArtPrize 2009. Venue hosts are not obligated in any way to reach agreements after Aug 15. Artist registration fee will not be refunded. Read why
Venue did not secure an artist?
Any venue that has not secured at least one artist by 11:59pm Saturday, August 15, will not be listed in any of the ArtPrize materials and will not be considered an ArtPrize venue. A venue must have ArtPrize registered artists exhibit in it to be an ArtPrize venue. Venue registration fee will not be refunded to venues without artists. Read why
August 12th, 2009
The 900th artist to secure a venue is Jean Sanders, a printmaking professor at Pennsylvania State College. You can see Jean’s work during the event at The Riverview Center.
There are less than four days until artist/venue matching ends.
***11:59pm SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, IS THE DEADLINE FOR ARTIST/VENUE MATCHING***
For anyone wondering what happens on Sunday–when the dust settles–to an artist without a venue or a venue that didn’t secure an artist, well… Read More »
August 12th, 2009
In the ramp up for ArtPrize, Grand Rapids Fire and Police will answer questions at a workshop called “L.O.C.A.L.”–Licensing, Operation, Capacity, Alcohol and Liability. (How do they always get their acronyms to spell something?)
This event is open to the public. It is not an ArtPrize event, but the local authorities hope that venues and others planning events around ArtPrize will come and have all of their questions answered.
The seminar is being held Tuesday, August 18, from 9:00am-noon at the Calvin College Gezon Auditorium, 3201 Burton SE, Grand Rapids, MI.
Seating is limited to 300 people, you must register by RSVP. Email LOCAL@grcity.us or call (616) 456-3900 for more information.
Download the announcement
August 10th, 2009
I know it’s getting a little redundant, but here’s a reminder that this Saturday is the last day artists and venues can secure each other.
By 11:59pm this Saturday night, all artists and venues who have reached an agreement must have completed the final step (both parties click the Secure artist/Secure venue buttons so our system knows you’ve reached an agreement).
WHAT’S NEXT?
ARTISTS
Any artist who has not secured a venue by 11:59pm Saturday, August 15, will not be eligible to compete in ArtPrize. Artists can still show work at the event, but that work will not be available for voting or listed in any ArtPrize materials. Venue hosts are not obligated in any way to reach agreements after Aug 15.
The Artist registration fee will not be refunded. Read why.
VENUES
Any venue that has not secured at least one artist by 11:59pm Saturday, August 15, will not be listed in any of the ArtPrize materials and will not be considered an ArtPrize venue. A venue must have ArtPrize registered artists exhibit in it to be an ArtPrize venue.
Be sure you know the final step. If you don’t complete the final step, you may wake up Sunday morning wondering why there are no artists listed under your venue, even though you signed Hosting Agreements.
The Venue registration fee will not be refunded to venues without artists. Read why.
*************
THE FINAL STEP Read More »
August 6th, 2009
Wouldn’t it be great if a venue could check a box on the website and we’d all know it was full? Well, unfortunately, that probably won’t be a feature we can add this year. (Did I mention there’s this voting thing we have to finish?)
VENUES – When you’ve reached capacity, add the word FULL to your Venue Name. (Edit your Venue Name by clicking Edit Venue.)
Example:
Full venues as of Aug 6, 2009
(I’ll update this list regularly)
- Grand Rapids Children’s Museum
- The Castle
- The Hauenstein Center at Saint Mary’s Health Care
- Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
- One Trick Pony Grill & Taproom
- Paula Scott Unlimited and Think Design
- West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology
- Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
- Huntington
- Arts Council of Greater Grand Rapids
- The Chop House Restaurant
- Ledyard Building
- Collins Fine Art
- UICA
- Kendall College
- Degagé Ministries
- Pub 43
- Peaches Bed & Breakfast
- Music and Movement
- Masonic Temple
- Independent Bank
- The Pita House
- Monroe Community Church
Matching deadline is midnight, August 15. Make sure you know the final step.
A “full” venue means it reached an agreement with as many artists it had capacity to exhibit. This post is updated from earlier one published July 21, 2009.
August 5th, 2009
Earlier today, Sean Kenny was the 600th artist to secure a space within a venue.
Registration ended on July 31 with 1,731 artists registered. Roughly 1,100 artists will attempt to secure a venue in the next 10 days. The upside is we’ve got about 160 venues. The downside, obviously, is that not all 1,100 artists will secure a venue. (My guess is we’ll see 200-400 more, but who knows for sure?)
Is the registration fee refundable?
A question that’s been coming up frequently–for obvious reasons–is if the registration fee is refundable. The $50 fee is not refundable. Why? The fee helps cover costs like a full-time artist relations manager or volunteer coordinator, but there’s a more important reason.
ArtPrize has made a large commitment–not only in prize money–but in organizing the event and developing the website. We ask any artist or venue to make a small, but equally serious commitment. When an artist pays the registration fee, it tells ArtPrize and venues the artist is serious and will follow through. Likewise when a venue pays the fee, artists know the venue is commited. If the registration fee was refundable, what would be the commitment in that? It would be the same as no fee at all.
Although not every artist who paid the fee will have a chance to show this year, it would be a great disservice to all artists and venues participating in the future if that fee was refundable. There’s a certain level of trust between artist and venue that would not exist without the fee.
August 1st, 2009
There are two weeks left for registered artists to secure a venue. Midnight, August 15 is the deadline.
Now that registration is over, venues can only secure a registered artist. There are two weeks for venues and registered artists to negotiate and sign a Hosting Agreement. However, signing the Hosting Agreement is NOT the final step. ArtPrize still needs to know you reached an agreement.
Know the Final Step!
How ArtPrize knows an artist and venue have completed the Hosting Agreement:
1. Artist/Venue sign the Hosting Agreement
2. Venue clicks “Secure artist” on artprize.org
3. Artist clicks “Secure venue” on artprize.org
FINISHED
