1,262 Artists?
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!
pretty quite around here! “sounds” like everyone is working REALLY hard!…..ha!….good for you mr. and mrs./miss artist!
I am just curious why the organizers of ArtPrize think it is ok to give more promotion to the venues of the Old Federal Building, The Grand Rapids Art Museum, The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts and Ah-Nab-Awen Park.
I have received notice that ArtPrize is paying a stipend of $300 for transportation costs to the first 25 schools in the Kent Intermediate School District that would like to take any students from grades 6 through 12 to not only view the artwork but be accompanied by the teaching staff for those venues.
Don’t get me wrong, I think it is fabulous and important that students are being engaged. But this is first and foremost an art PRIZE, an “art contest decided solely on a public vote.”
Since it is up to a public vote, shouldn’t we expect the organization to have a level of concern of whether their actions might influence the public vote, as they could be construed as having a bias? This promotion seems pretty blatant to me, as many members of the voting base will be directed toward specific works in the competition.
I’m pretty sure all the artists entered this competition believing it would be an even playing field. The “ArtPrize Educational Committee” leaves no question that this is a promotion by ArtPrize.
I understood that any artist or venue could promote themselves, but it seems unfair to me that the organization putting on the competition would promote certain venues and artists.
I didn’t come into this thinking it was an even playing field. Obviously it’s not, based solely on the amount of exposure each artist has. However, I had not heard of the Artprize organization funding school trips for only specific venues. That IS most definitely favortism. It would certainly be nice to see someone new in the limelight for a change. I would be very happy if one of the amateur artists received the grand prize. You know, someone who actually NEEDS the money. I doubt it will happen, but still.
I believe the information in Gabriela’s post warrants a response from ArtPrize.
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To add to Liz’s and Gabriela’s comment…
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The venues featured in the “Featured Venues” section on the homepage should be shuffling randomly through all the venues. If my memory serves me correctly no other venue has been featured other than the 3 currently featured. 2 of the 3 just so happen to be venues Gabriela mentioned in her post. Odd? That, to me, seems unfair to the other venues and to the artists not showing at those currently featured venues. The section should be removed if the random shuffle feature cannot be added in a timely manner due to whatever reasons.
This leads into the venue list and artist list.
It would be great if they were to shuffle randomly, I’ll put that on the wish list.
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Deciding where to place voting registration stations I hope and pray is done fairly. It will be very interesting to see where they are placed.
Gabriela and Liz have their rulers and magnifying glasses out, everyone else should too.
I almost created a similar post as Gabriela. I too came into this competition EXCITED and refreshed that there would be a competition voted on by the public. I also thought it would be even playing field. I am happy with the venue I have, and I will be excited with any amountof votes I get, but knowing they are transporting people who can vote? I understand the kids will be to young to vote, but still for us underdogs who just want that one chance to get our work out there it feel like a knife in the back. It is NOT funny how ArtPrize will not respond to these posts.
I won’t lie. I didn’t respond because I’d not heard about a stipend for what we’ve been calling “Education Day.” Here’s what I know:
The GR Downtown Development Authority has offered to reimburse up to $300 to any school bringing 6-12 graders downtown on Thursday, Sept 24. Four venues will have stations set up where students will hear a 20 minute lecture about contemporary art before moving on to the next station. Many of those students will not be old enough to vote. Those who are will have to get creative about how they sneak off to register during their field trip.
If you feel a “knife in the back” has been issued by ArtPrize for helping kids have an educational experience during the event, I ask you to consider what school teachers would feel if we simply told them, “Good luck! Our open hours are 5pm-8pm Monday thru Thursday.”
Ken
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“Anyone 16 years of age or older who registers in person at the ArtPrize event can vote.”
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Some will be eligible to vote.
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I plan on emailing everyone from my venue the hyperlink to this page because I believe it’s important for everyone to know what is happening.
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I hope you, Gabriela and Liz do the same.
I’ve read a lot of critical comments about ArtPrize here and elsewhere on the web. This comment thread saddens me more than any other. Particularly because I can only assume that each of these artists had some sort of early, transformative experience with art as a child. To be outraged that ArtPrize would do something to spread that kind of experience I find, personally, repulsive. ArtPrize is NOT “first and foremost about a prize.” It’s about art and the celebration of it in this community.
We will not apologize for taking steps to educate the public about contemporary art.
I think Gabriela’s complaints needed to be addressed, but now that it’s clarified, let’s just cool it. Hey Paul, is there any chance the $300 stipend could be given to any school that takes their students to ANY venue during Artprize? I’m sure it would be quite educational for students to visit The Man in a Van Project at the Grand Rapids Community Foundation.
Paul, my problem is not with the fact they’re trying to get kids out there to look at art, it’s with the fact that they’re only going to specific venues. I thought I made that clear. Of course it’s not all about the prize. Personally, I kind of wish there wasn’t one (although I know it wouldn’t have drawn in as many people). I think the majority of us already know we have about a snowball’s chance in hell. But, by only shuttling kids to those specific establishments, you’re effectively quarantining them from the rest of the art. Art, which (not to be derogatory in any fashion) is probably much more on their level (at least the younger ones). Do you not understand how this actually puts a limit on what they’re going to see? Isn’t the whole point for them to see ALL kinds of art? They’re not going to go home and ask their parents to bring them out again if what they see doesn’t interest them.
Also, do you realize how many people are out of work and out of money these days? Is it any wonder that they’re scrambling this hard to get at such a big prize amount?
Aaron, I hope students do get a chance to see your project. We’d love to ensure that students see every venue, but with 158, it’s just not realistic to do in a single day. I know someone who home schools her kids, and she’s planning on taking them to see different ArtPrize venues every day during the event. Unfortunately, the public schools have a curriculum that’s not as flexible.
Liz, it seems like you’re making a few assumptions. It seems to me like a field trip early in the event will whet the appetite of students and they’ll be more likely to come back and check out what else is going on. The Education Day is Thursday, September 24, and the following Saturday will be a terrific time for families to see a lot of other venues. The open hours that day are much longer, and lots of artists and venues are doing their own programming (which you’re encouraged to do as well).
You also seem to be assuming that students won’t like the art in the venues they’re going to on the field trip. That’s a pretty big assumption, you’re lumping together the work of over a hundred very diverse artists. The idea is to get kids excited about art and the event as a whole, I don’t see how that quarantines anyone.
It’s interesting to see the ArtPrize organizers providing recent press to the fact that they feel this isn’t about a competition or which art work of Art is the best. Well what the heck is it then? Artprize claims to be the largest art competition in the world with the largest cash prize ever offered to a first place winner of any art competition.
I’m not really sure what ArtPrize is about if it isn’t about what the public thinks is the best art work in the competition?
I’ve asked this question several times and in several different ways…what is the conversation that ArtPize feels is in need of “rebooting”?
Kevin, I’m pulling strictly from my own experiences as a child and from children I know. I guess if that’s an assumption, so be it. Also, I’ve looked at all the art being hosted in those venues (I’m typing specifically in regard to the UICA & the Old Federal Building which were curated by the same person from what I understand) and yes, there are similarities between much of what’s there. This is the case at many venues due to the fact that in some cases it was just one person who chose the art.
Here’s a question for you: why choose those venues? Out of all the buildings included in the Artprize competition, why would you shuttle the kids to those buildings when the B.O.B. is actually the venue hosting the most art? I mean, other than the fact that your sponsor is the UICA? Why put a limit on where they go? Would it cost more?
Liz,
I’m still bedazzled by it all. On one hand you have Betsy Devos shelling out a half million dollars so art viewing came become “democratic” and Rick Devos saying it’s a competition open to anyone who can find their own space and at the same time now saying it isn’t really about being a competition, while the UICA the one established professional art organization/sponsor is jurying, and might I even guess soliciting, the art work for the two most prominent( and so far most publicized) professional exhibition spaces on the venue list. It’s the largest pre-juried, non- juried, public top prize awarded competition that isn’t really suppose to be a competition- competition in the world!
Paul and Kevin, I appreciate what you’re doing with Artprize. Quite honestly, my recession-themed project was, at least to a small degree, inspired as a response the Artprize’s over-the-top grand prize. Since then, I’ve realized how many positive things that are occurring in Michigan and throughout the country as a result of Artprize. I’m just writing this post to say keep up the good work. I don’t agree with every decision you make, but I appreciate the whole process. Don’t let the critics get to you too much. With that said, I encourage you both to remain open to adjusting your operation to satisfy the majority. Peace.
Let me be clear, I also think Paul and Kevin appear to be doing a good job (I can only imagine what you have to deal with). I have no idea who made the choice to shuttle the kids (although Paul’s lack of knowledge on the subject would suggest it wasn’t him), but I think that was an excellent idea. It’s the location choices that didn’t sit well with me. I’m sorry, but I’m not going to just sit here and mindlessly praise something I disagree with, regardless of the intent. I think having the UICA as a sponsor AND a venue was a poor choice. From the beginning I think there has been a clear view that the UICA and the Old Federal Building are the “main” attractions, and I think this has caused a bit of resentment from those not showing there. The lack of participation for other venues in regard to the bus shuttle just drives that in a bit further. All that said, I’m done discussing the matter. While I think it would be great to include all the venues, I’m not the person funding this. I can only voice my opinion and hope it’s taken into consideration.
Kevin,
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How the decision quarantines anyone you will never understand unless you have a paradigm shift. Try looking at this through the eyes of an artist who is investing their own time and own money in order to win this competition.
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To whom it may concern,
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Paul said “We will not apologize for taking steps to educate the public about contemporary art.” but no one has asked for an apology, what is being sought after is FAIRNESS. While ArtPrize is about art and the celebration of it in our community it is also a competition for some of the artists and it should be fair. How can anyone expect those artists not to cry foul when the playing field is not balanced? They would be fools not to.
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Call the stipend program an educational experience if you want but when you put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig. It would be wonderful to get rid of the pig and keep the educational experience as long as it is one that doesn’t directly and/or indirectly affect anyone negatively. Challenging? Yes. Impossible? No.
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I posted about the following before but I feel the need to do it again:
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Is it fair that the 3 featured venues on the homepage have never (from what I can remember) been changed? It’s not! It would be wonderful to get rid of that pig too.
I apologize to anyone who may not have understood my original post. It seems parts of my comment were missed. “Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s fabulous and important that students are being engaged.”
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I don’t believe anyone is outraged at student involvement. If I were, I would have to be outraged at myself for entering and being selected to display, as I AM A STUDENT. In fact, we could just all consider ourselves constant students, as we learn something every day, and you don’t have to be sitting in a classroom to do it.
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In the ArtPrize organization’s attempt to “educate the public about contemporary art,” they made a conscious decision that the way they wanted to do it was through a COMPETITION with a PRIZE, which comes with certain responsibilities to the contestants.
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“ArtPrize_A radically open art COMPETITION, giving away the world’s largest art PRIZE. Part arts festival, part social experiment – this international art CONTEST is decided solely on a PUBLIC VOTE.”
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I understand how frustrating it is when the “point” of art is confused. In a perfect world, we would just display art and the public would just appreciate it without needing to place a value on it. Creating progressive, innovative, provocative art as a career in fine art goes against what we are trained to think of for our careers and what runs society: commerce, money, market.
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Many people have said I’m crazy “in this economy!?” to attempt a fine art career, but it has never been about money for me, just the passion for creating. To be able to bring that to the community in such a scale through ArtPrize is exciting and refreshing, especially in an area like Grand Rapids, where the challenge in bringing something new to the area is more rewarding than in places like New York City, where I’ve been going to school, and people’s reactions are largely “been there, done that” and a commerce-driven art market has taken over.
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But it seems to me that there’s a reason why this experiment has been named ArtPRIZE. Regardless of our hopes that competition and money shouldn’t matter, we’ve entered a scenario that’s been created where it does. The organization that created the scenario need to realize why this matters and realize that by putting the result in the public’s hands, they have set a scenario for THEMSELVES where the promotion to the public is going to be watched. In short, we want FAIR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT – not arguments about student experiences.
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Simply by creating a competition, ArtPrize is promising that it will be fair, and that, if nothing else, is what, and should be, expected. Students SHOULD be engaged, and it SHOULD be done in FAIR way.
I think students should be involved to see all of the artwork, and hear lectures about that art, BUT if the students can only go to certain venues, and not other venues, then maybe they shouldn’t be allowed to go at all. It is just about fairness like stone cutter said.
I agree with many of you who just want to see fairness. And there has been no answer to why the 3 main venues on the main page have not been changed up. I have friends in other venues who have the same issues. I guess if the winner is from one of those 3 main venues we will really know the answer.
It would probably cost less money to have the lecturers go to the schools in the KISD and promote ArtPrize there – negligible transportation cost (only to move the lecturers) and therefore no limit on who gets to hear them speak. And they would promote all the venues and all the artists and could even get those that can vote registered. Plus, logistically speaking, it is a lot less hassle for a school to plan a presentation than a field trip (no permission forms, no extra lunches, no extra buses, no extra chaperones, less time out of class…) I think it would be a win-win.
Gabriela, I do see a bit of a flaw in your reverse field trip idea…you are forgetting about an integral element: the art itself. Many artworks are large-scale or installation based.
Kids look at screens and sit in classrooms all day. Experiencing the power of art’s physicality can only be done in person (is this not obvious?). This is true of small works of art as well. While viewing art by slide projector or via internet is a useful auxiliary tool, much is lost or altered in translation. I’m not supporting the idea of their only visiting certain venues, but it would be a shame for kids to miss out when they’re only miles away (with some perhaps from households without the means or interest in attending).
I agree that having fairness compromised is extremely unfortunate. Things have such potential to become messy when money & art mix. ArtPrize is a hugely ambitious undertaking, fraught with complications, hopefully with some positive outcomes.
Danielle,
I agree completely with your statement about experiencing art in person. That is why the lecturers would be PROMOTING ArtPrize. (I suppose instead of registering at their schools they would have to register at the event to ensure that they actually attend.) I did not forget that element, as my own work is large-scale and installation based. From what has been expressed about Education Day, the organizers are hoping the kids COME BACK to see the artwork as they will not be registering the day of their field trip, in other words “whet their appetite.” I don’t see why the lecturers couldn’t do that at the schools. And it may actually reach a BROADER audience as others in the school who can vote, (teachers, staff) who may not have been able to go on a field trip because they had to do their job at school, could see the presentation and get a better idea of ArtPrize as well.
I guess I’m a bit confused about what ArtPrize’s role as an organization is. It’s not as a purely impartial facilitator for artist and venue, ensuring fairness of the competition. There are elements of venue promotion, artist promotion, arts education, as well as self promotion. Some of these elements are in conflict with each other and with most people’s assessment of what makes for a fair and valid competition.
Ken,
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Thanks for commenting on the “featured venues” issue.
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Gabriella, Danielle and Liz,
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What are your thoughts on the “featured venues” issue?
I guess I’d like to know what the purpose is of having featured venues in the first place.
I think we need to let go of the expectation that this could possibly be a fair competition. And it is a competition, with huge prizes. Arprize seems to need to work a little on defining what it wants to be. Part art fair, part international “biennale”, it teeters on becoming a circus. The organizers washed their hands of this responsibility this year, smartly so. They admit. . .It’s an experiment. A fun experiment.
Yes there are preferred venues. Yes artist’s are already installing and getting promoted long before others will even set foot in Grand Rapids. And there is this rumor that some artists were invited to apply so they could be picked. (Newsflash – this is how the artworld works – oh wait, Artprize is anti-art establishment – oh wait, they aren’t)
Arprize is too big. If we are expecting every viewer to have a chance to view every work before they decide and vote. I’ve participated in many exhibitions like this before, across the world. A mere 500 artists spread over a small section of a city is too many.
I am happy to return to Michigan to exhibit in Artprize. Please come and see me at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church. But I know for certain that the lack of fairness and inconsistency in organization kept some quality artists who actually matched with venues from coming. Yes, they would have rather given up their $50.00 than deal with this situation.
Also, kids going to the art museum. No matter what the reason, this is a good thing. A very good thing.
Morgan,
Your kind.
But ArtPrize isn’t a collaborative effort. It isn’t a co-op or a community grass roots effort by the GRAM or some other local interest. It was a competition set up to particular ideals by one person. I wouldn’t be so quick to cut AP slack as a organization with the best intentions in mind for Art and Artists. Instead it seems to me Rick Devos designed a plan that isn’t very artist friendly, doesn’t seem to be quality oriented, and as you say isn’t going to be viewer friendly.
One thing for sure is that the restaurants and bars and hotels will love AP.