Voting Instructions and the iPhone App
Got an iPhone? Go to the iTunes store and download the ArtPrize voting app. (Right now you can only search artists, but after you register to vote you can, well, vote.)
UP AND DOWN VOTES
The first thing to know before we dive into the nitty gritty is there are two separate weeks of voting.
Week 1: Voters can vote up or vote down on any artist (only one vote per artist).
Week 2: Voters have only one vote (no down votes) and they can only use their vote for one of the top 10.
Why does Week 1 have and up and down vote? ArtPrize designed voting this way knowing that an artist with the most votes up may be the most popular, but the artist with the most votes up AND down may be the most talked about, thought about and controversial work in the event.
We see both the popular and controversial works as important to the conversation around ArtPrize. (If you’re wondering, a down vote does not cancel out an up vote. It is added to the overall tally, but calculated differently from an up vote.)
UPDATE: I wrote the above statement hastily and incorrectly. Please, see this post for more clarity on the up and down vote.
REGISTRATION
Before you can vote, you need to show up at one of the voter registration sites—in person—with a government-issued photo ID.
Register on opening night at the ArtPrize Opening Night and Registration Fair at Lyon Square. Or any time after that at one of the voter registration sites. We’ll create your account on artprize.org and email your password to you (or create your own account before you come down to register and choose your own password). Once you register, you’re ready to begin voting.
Open hours at each location vary, so be sure to check them before heading out to register.
All voting is electronic—online, via text message, mobile browser or via iPhone app.
To vote online, by mobile browser or iPhone app, you’ll need your email address and password.
HOW TO VOTE
Online
Anytime after activating your voter status, sign in to your account on artprize.org, search for an artist, and start voting. It’s easy.
Via text message (SMS)
Register your mobile phone number with us. You can do that online at artprize.org or in person when you register to vote. Once your voter status is activated, you’ll receive a text message with a unique code. Text that code back to 878787 to validate your phone and then you’re ready to vote “up” or “down” using the voting codes displayed near the artwork.
Look for the artist’s voting numbers displayed near the art work.
Send all votes to 878787
Example of a message sent for a vote up: vote55551
Example of a message sent for a vote down: vote55550
(You’ll receive a confirmation of each vote as required by the texting service)
Mobile Browser
Mobile Browser is a simplified version of the Web found on your mobile phone.
Go to m.artprize.org on your mobile browser
Sign in to your artprize.org account
A text box will appear to vote
Type an artist’s voting code (see above) into the box to vote up or down
iPhone app
Download the iPhone app from the iTunes store.
Sign in using your email and password for you artprize.org account
Search artists
Vote (only available on Sept 23, after you register in person at a voter registration site)
what is the beginning date for registering at meijer gardens?
thank-you
Hi-
My initial reaction to the voting system that has been established is that it will be far too complicated for the average person to want to even deal with, particularly the electronic unsavvy and the elderly. The result may be that many people that would otherwise like to vote just simply won’t. I hope you will consioder revising the voting protocol.
Best regards,
Alan C.
I have to agree that it’s too complicated. I have several friends who don’t even own a computer or have a way to text message in their vote and they are automatically excluded from the voting. Please consider a different method of voting. It seems very complicated, too. What if you live outside of Grand Rapids and can’t make it to the site to register to vote? There really needs to be an easy way to vote.
There is a basic understanding of the Internet that every voter–whether they own a computer or not–will have to have in order to vote.
Let me put it this way. If you were able to sign up for an email account, you have the ability to sign up to vote at ArtPrize.
I just read the instructions for voting. This is an exciting event, but the voting is far too complicated and might be intimidating for people that do not know how to use electronic devices. Also, the up and down vote and how it is calculated is rather unclear. Please consider making changes that would allow people to vote easily.
Thank you,
Marlene
For those intenational artists who don’t know, or have any family or friends living in the immediate area, this voting system is a joke. I already know some local artists and venues that are organizing rallys and groups in order to go and vote strategically throughout the city. Not very well planned out Art Prize!
3 Questions:
Artists and venues already have an account on the site. Will they need to register a new account to vote?
Does an artist get credit for a down vote?
Exactly how are up and down votes tabulated?
Thanks!
Will the numerical value of a “vote down” be calculated as a positive number or as a negative number? Most people would think of a “vote down” as a negative concept. Your commentary, however, makes it sound like a positive concept. That leads me to think that perhaps, when tallying the votes, a “vote down” might be counted as a positive number, but weighted at something less than 100%. I think you need to reveal how the “votes down” are going to be calculated.
Will the total amount be the combination of the down and up votes? In other words, if an artist has 100 up votes and 50 down votes, would the resulting total be 50?
.
I’d feel kind of horrible giving and receiving down votes…
i am not impressed with the voting system, too complicated for too many ppl , not enough voting registration sites, too time consuming , why not include a simpler protocol for those who are not intersted in the tech stuff. the down votes is a reallllly bad idea.
And would it have been the craziest idea ever to have the mobile voting code…. MATCH the Artist ID already assigned?
You guys need to stop now…. you’re over thinking this… time to back it up and simplify….
It’s actually just like a painting in that way….
Will the ability to vote both up and down be available to all voters or only to those who use iPhone?
Seems easy enough to vote, but why the up and down vote again? Are you encouraging controversial works with the down vote. Seems silly to vote down on something, isn’t not voting for it at all the same as a down vote?
I have to agree with the people above: the new modern system of voting excludes 50% of potential voters(according to my knwledge)that love art but hate computer, mobile phones and even hate automatic answering machines. Some people cannot cope with modern technologies- these are my voters! Do you understand that voters that are young or high-tech lovers will change the results?
Another thing: I am an artist living at the other part of the world. Of course it is too expensive for me to travel to the USA. I do not have any friends in Grand Rapids or the area around. I saw that there are a lot of local artists participating. Of course they will bring their families and friends etc.That will chnage the results for us- the foreign artists….
I sometimes have wished political elections had down votes. It will be interesting to see how that goes here. However I think we artists, and ESPECIALLY the voting public, need more clarification on what a down vote means. I expect most will believe it is negating an up vote. Just what does it mean to the final tally?
Thanks for publishing the information about how voting will happen. Now I can get to work on printed PR material!
How is it calculated differently? Is it more beneficial to vote up or down?? Someone please clarify.
“If you’re wondering, a down vote does not cancel out an up vote. It is added to the overall tally, but calculated differently from an up vote.”
rofl what is a down vote?
People, it is not that difficult. Do you file taxes every year? Ever paid a utility bill? This is a piece of cake. No cell phone? No computer? Great, me neither! Solution: go to the public library, find a friend, ask your neighbor, a young and hip relative, or an artprize volunteer.
Do local artists have a small advantage? Yep, probably.
I, like most, will have a few favorites before the game even begins, but that doesn’t mean I won’t vote for other good art. And why are we concerned about “organized groups” “voting strategically”? It’s no more or less fair than election season. Even far-away artists are using the power of the web to get their names known.
Down votes — weird, but potentially interesting. We’ll see.
Let’s relax! It’ll be fun.
I think it would be a lot easier and perhaps fairer if a group of judges from different disciplines in the arts were asked to go around to all venues and do the judging. This voting system is not only complicated but I am guessing that if you have someone with many contacts in Grand Rapids you do have a much better chance of getting votes. I agree with the person who said it might be hard for those who are not so computer saavy. I like the down votes…maybe they should be weighted twice as much as the up votes since art should not just decorate but provoke.
don’t you get it?
http://blog.art21.org/2009/08/27/artprize-an-experiment-in-decentralized-curation-and-competition/
we’re all part of an technology experiment. Be part of it, or don’t
Ok, either I’m blind, or the part about the down votes not taking away from the up votes was added later on. Either is entirely possible. Anyway, so….what’s the point of this, then? How are the down votes calculated differently?
[...] Got an iPhone? Go to the iTunes store and download the ArtPrize voting app. (Right now you can only search artists, but after you register to vote you can, well, vote.) [...]
I think down votes mire the voting in complexity, confusion and scheming to vote down competitors. I understand the kernel of the idea- interesting… but I think down votes will do more harm than good for the positive vibe in the city.
Liz you’re not blind… there’s more being moved around too…
“detemined by popular vote” has been removed replaced by “We see both the popular and controversial works as important to the conversation around ArtPrize.”
there’s a back peddling and re-write occurring
My understanding of the up and down voting is the down votes will only be used to show how much a piece is being “talked” about. Only the up votes will be used in the contest tally. This ArtPrize is designed around social media for international interaction with art being displayed in Grand Rapids. Having people register in person helps control the world wide mass social media from determining the winners. (Side note: Grand Rapids is the ultimate winner in this free art show contest. Already heard of many people here who are having family and friends coming to town for the event.)
Venues are allowed to have computers available for people to vote with. It would be nice to have a list of the ones that will be offering this.
Going all around the downtown area to see over 1,200 works of art is all part of the ArtPrize experience. The area has even been expanded with the ArtPeers project for one weekend.
they are editing as they go….it’s their show, anything goes……
There’s more to this, I’ve seen this shell game before…
I’ve seen the media give nothing but good press about ArtPrize. Other than these rant rooms, does anybody know if there’s been any “not so good” things said about it? If so where?
Wow.
That sentence I wrote about the up and down vote calculation did not deliver enough detail regarding what it’s about. Had I known it would spark this many comments, I would have written an entire post explaining the up and down vote in much more detail. Which I did.
Please read The Up and Down Vote Explained
Just a thought for next year. I feel like the place where the artist is from should not be known to the venues or the voters. Specifically for the reason that It seems to cause so much predjudice. Maybe more folks that aren’t from Grand Rapids may have been chosen if the only thing the venues could base their acceptance was from the piece of art itself and not perhaps the artist location. It’s just odd to me that you have an entire world of art to chose from and the majority of artist for this event are from Michigan. But regardless, It will be very interesting to see the results.
Why are people scraping for conspiracy theories? Of course the moderators will edit their own blog in an effort to clear confusion and answer questions as they come. It’s a blog, not the Constitution. Remember, the ArtPrize staff are there to help, right?
stonecutter — do a little google searching. There has been a lot of ArtPrize criticism, largely from art intellectuals, some of whom are uncomfortable with the idea of the general public choosing a big-money winner in the ‘world’s largest art competition.’ there are some (mostly valid) doubts about who this event may draw and the type of art a mostly art-illiterate public will select. Interesting debate. One thing is certain — the art world will be watching Grand Rapids. After all, this has never been done before.
Either way, as John said, this is a big win for the city and its creative culture.
This is a very complicated system, and leaves out anyone who cannot afford a computer, an iPhone, and anyone who does not know all this technology. That means most of the voters will be younger, tech-savvy, and potentially upper middle class. I am sorry to hear that there isn’t a simpler way to go for those who just come in to see the work and want to vote for a work they have seen. This is particularly true for those of us in “non-art” venues, where people might just happen to see work, would like to vote, but might not have time to go jump all the hoops.
I insist that local artists have bigger- huge- advantage!!
Will you- organizers, tell me please how can I vote or my family and friends- (like the Gran Rapids’ artists will do)If we live in eastern Europe? (Or far East ot Australia- does it really matter where?)
If people are not understanding the voting process, it seems they’re also not understanding the entire concept of ArtPrize. I don’t blame ArtPrize for that. The process doesn’t need to be ‘dumbed down’ – it’s time for people to read, comprehend and then execute the parts they wish to play in this grand experiment. And for the record, I’m 53, never owned a computer until ten years ago, taught myself to incorporate technology into my daily life and choose to never quit learning new ways to do things. No excuses, people. The concepts are fully explained throughout. Quit being lazy, start at the beginning and read – the answers and guidelines are all there.
Don’t you think there will be an inherent bias favoring those artists actually from the Grand Rapids area, or Michigan, or the mid west for that matter? don’t you think they might email or text friends and relatives to travel a relatively short distance to “get out the vote” for their particular piece?
The “art-illiterate public” will know what it likes and doesn’t like. My theory is that if art must be explained to me it isn’t that good. I don’t mind having an artist explain the back-story of a piece or how many steps were involved in producing the piece, but if the artist has to explain what I’m seeing so I see it “properly” then they’ve lost me as a fan. If I see a movie and then have to have it explained to me I don’t think it was a good movie. If I see new clothes and don’t like them, who’s to say I should wear them anyway, just because the fashionistas think they’re fabulous? Artists don’t have to produce art that the majority of people like. They are free to create whatever they wish. But we “the art-illiterate public” don’t have to be fans.
Susu…well said – it is a struggle conceptual art seems to have (especially decorative art disguised as conceptual) and there is a lot of it in this contest so it will be interesting to see how it gets recieved.
Paul Moore…Please advise how to change my image to the appropriate image. Again i am showing work from my trip to Iraq and AP placed a non-iraqi image on the iphone app. Who do i contact to address this off-line?
thanks
I agree with Susu and am offended by the post being responded to. Who do you make art for? For your college professor, or for the public? Of course we all make our art “for ourselves”, but really, if one professional art critic hates your work and ten thousand “art-illiterate” people connect with it, do you really side with the critic over the ten thousand? And another thing: The local populace is not a bunch of uneducated donkeys. Would it be more “fair” to host this event in New York or London? Why? I’ve been to both of those locations and the people there who would vote in this are no more art savvy than the people who live here. Three: it’s been posted before–it is what it is, and if you are that upset about it, please do not participate. This is a positive thing for all involved, and if you don’t get that, don’t participate.
KK- i am confused…did my post offend you? I am the post just previous to yours
KK,
Are you really saying if one critic says Thomas Kinkades paintings are trite,over sentimental, portrayals of a bucolic world that doesn’t exist and ten thousand other people says it is great art then that makes it great art?
Does the text message form of voting imply when it says “You can do it online OR in person when registering…” that one does not HAVE to register at the event if voting via cell phone?
I am really disappointed in ArtPrize’s idea of having registrations sites all over the city. The one they have are almost all in the center of town leaving those sites on the out skirts at a disadvantage, and giving a big advantage to those who are displaying at the registration sites. You have made it some that some people might see something they want to vote on but they can’t get to one of your registration sites in order to register.
To those how think that the question of the voting has anything to do with city it is but the way it is being done, and the disadvantage to those from other places. In other words an International Artist won’t have the same backing of friends and family who are local, and if I read right might have people organizing votes for them, since most of them won’t be able to drag their friends and family with them. Its a shame there wasn’t a way to put the work on line for people to view and vote there.
I’m happy that the voting actually is “complicated” (if you can call a text message or an online vote in the year 2009 complicated) for once an art competition can’t be skewed by an unfair group of individuals- thank god for once the art will be judged in person, and the prize money won’t just be given to the person with the most myspace “friends”-
I applaud artprize for actually having the balls to make an art competition that isn’t just a popularity vote.
CB: It may not be won by the person with the most ‘myspace friends’ but believe me, it will be won by the person with the most ‘friends’ in the area… popularity vote? Definitely!
Honestly, a question to all out of town artists. What’s a realistic number of the amount of friends you would be able to bring to vote for your work? That is, if ArtPrize were happening in your home town.
Wow, in an age where there is an ‘app’ for everything and WiFi nearly everywhere … I love that people are ON the internet complaining about the suffrage of people who don’t HAVE the internet … really, you people know people who don’t have the internet? WELL, THEN LET THEM USE YOURS!
It isn’t that complicated – but if you think it is, well, I am okay with that; art isn’t always ‘simple’. AND the idea that people have to come to Grand Rapids to vote: well, ThankYou, ArtPrize, for the boost to the economy. And organized “rallies” for artists: well, if you don’t like the artist with the rally, rally behind your own artist – it is not that complex people.
This event brings conversation to art and brings art to the people AND lets the common person join the conversation, not just a “group of judges from different disciplines in the arts [going] around to all venues and do the judging”.
Just simmer-down, people & enjoy a city alive with the arts.
PS. 53-year-old Jane is my new hero!
Voting is very complicated, perhaps the reason is that the winner has already been hand picked, it’s all fixed! Forget my vote!
Out of curiosity, Phyllis, who won?
I agree that Jane V. = awesome. She sounds like my mom
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Phyllis, the PEOPLE vote. You not voting means one less vote for a person who isn’t the one you think is hand picked.
What a debate this is! I think all of you artists complaining need to cut ArtPrize some slack. First of all, you all have a 1 in 1262 chance of winning $250,000. Unless one of you was on Survivor, this has to be the best odds you’ve EVER had at winning this amount of money. And yes, I think a local artist has an advantage…but don’t you think a BIG part of this contest is to bring business into the Grand Rapids economy? …as in, “Hey, lets go to G.R. to vote for my piece.” Everyone knew the deal when they signed up. Nothing in life is 100% fair. I’m sure this is as fair as they could make it. And isn’t this the first time they’ve ever done this? This cannot be an easy event to organize. A little constructive criticism IS a good thing. It just seems like there is a lot of whining going on. (…please don’t give me a thumbs down for my blogging! However, all thumbs up are welcome! HAHA) I think the entire concept for this contest is very cool and I hope more cities start to do this. Personally, I’m just glad to be in the show…for the odds, exposure, and the experience. YOU ROCK ARTPRIZE! (…and no, I don’t live in G.R. or know anyone who does.)