Carol Coletta is the president and CEO of CEOs for Cities, and the host of the nationally syndicated public radio show Smart City. In our Lunchbox lecture series, Carol led a lively discussion about the impact ArtPrize has had on the city of Grand Rapids, the dialog surrounding art within the city, and the intersection of the two. Can the decentralized model employed by ArtPrize be used for more than an art competition? Full video below.
Seven artists competing in ArtPrize 2009 spoke during the Lunch Box Series. Two couples showing in separate venues, one collaboration and one portrait artist.
Well, it’s a little redundant to write about who won ArtPrize 2009 here on the blog. For those curious about the press coverage, I’ve compiled some links below and embedded the video of last nights Winners Celebration.
We brought in Nicole Caruth, frequent contributor to the Art21 blog, to come, observe and respond to ArtPrize. While here, she interviewed four guests from the art world to give their thoughts and help shape the conversation around ArtPrize. Her own thoughts she collected in her “Eyes on the Prize” series.
See excerpts of Nicole’s interviews with:
Peter Murray, Founding Director of Yorkshire Sculpture Park
West Bretton, Wakefield (UK)
Adam D. Weinberg, Director, Whitney Museum of American Art
New York, NY (USA)
Michael M. Kaiser, President, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, D.C. (USA)
Mary Jane Jacob, Professor and Executive Director of Exhibitions and Exhibition Studies
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, IL (USA)
Read Nicole’s observations in her “Eyes on the Prize” series: Read More »
Many restaurants in downtown Grand Rapids are extending happy hours and other specials until 7PM, tonight. Get a beverage and some food, then come to the ArtPrize Winners Announcement and Celebration beginning at 7PM at DeVos Place (Steelcase Ballroom). The event is open and free to the public.
Cash in on some of these deals before the celebration begins. (Restaurants will also have ArtPrize wristbands to give away.)
The B.O.B.
616-356-2000
Extending Happy Hour Food and Drink specials until 7PM
TGI Friday’s
(616) 742-8443
Happy Hours specials extended until 7PM
Flanagan’s
(616) 454-7852
$2 wells, $3 Long Islands, $3 u calls, $4 bombs and food specials until 7PM
Charley’s Crab
(616) 459-2500
$3,$4,$5 appetizers, $3 wells, $4 glass of wine, $5 martinis, until 7PM
Ritz Koney Island Grill and Bar
(616)451-3701
$2 you name it, we make it! Until 7PM
McFadden’s
(616) 454-9105
Half off drinks, $4.95 pizzas 5-8 PM
Tap House Lounge
(616) 774-3338
Regular happy hour $3 long islands, $2.50 beers, 4-7PM
Mary Jane Jacob is a professor and Executive Director of Exhibitions and Exhibition Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has an extensive history in curating public art exhibitions and testing the boundaries between contemporary art and its audience.
She discusses her process toward defining public art and various pieces she has curated.
David R. Collens is the Director and Curator of Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, New York.
He visited ArtPrize last week and shared some thoughts in the Lunch Box Series regarding outdoor sculpture, what he looks for and the day to day concerns of a sculpture park like Storm King.
Guest Speaker, Mary Jane Jacob, Professor and Executive Director of Exhibitions and Exhibition Studies at School of the Art Institute of Chicago, interviewed by Nicole Caruth. An excerpt:
Nicole Caruth: What are your feelings about ArtPrize?
Mary Jane Jacob: … I think that openness has been a really strong aspect. The voting, which I normally would not be a fan of, here, I think, just from my short observations, it becomes a lens for people to look at the work and then have to assess, and that’s what it’s all about. Assessing it not based on, necessarily, if something is good or well made or things that we might use in the art world, but rather “Does it speak to me? What does it mean? Do I like it?” We, with much education and years of experience in that, also consider whether we like it or not. That is an honest reaction.
Even if you only go to one venue [at ArtPrize], you’re still looking at quite a large number of things. That has to be assessed with other things, which means it goes beyond just a first impression. Yet it also stays very personal. You have to ask yourself, “Why do I like this one more than the other, or equally?” And then there is a thumbs up/thumbs down kind of suggestion [by which] you could at least have a conversation with every work of art. Because you’re not just picking 10 to vote on, you don’t have to slice it so fine. Because it’s not going to be one or the other, it doesn’t have to go through some laborious ranking, because there’s way too much stuff here to do that, and many things are on par with each other.
My real misgiving strategically, long-term, with the project is the huge disparity in the prize money in an art world where artists need a lot of support — art always does. Read More »
It was going to be at Rosa Parks Circle, but due to the weather we moved the ArtPrize Winners Announcement & Celebration indoors, to the Steelcase Ballroom at DeVos Place, 303 Monroe Ave. NW. It is free and open to everyone.
Doors open at 6PM, tomorrow. There is no charge to attend. Starting at 7PM, enjoy performances by Bollywood Dance Troupe, blue13, Chicago’s Bucket Boys, New Century Shadow Dancers and – at 8:20 – hear the announcement of the winner of ArtPrize 2009. Celebrate afterward with blue13.
Food is available for purchase and a cash bar.
UPDATE: We initially reported $5 for a calzone and soda, but the price for the general public is $6.50. Volunteers, wear your red Ask Me shirt and pick up a meal ticket from Kathy, so you can eat free.
Sponsored by Meijer, Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation, Rick and Melissa DeVos, Daniel and Pamella DeVos, Douglas and Maria DeVos, Richard and Helen DeVos, VanderWeide Family
Who are the winners?
The winner of the $250,000 art prize is the artist with the most votes. Cast your vote by 11:59PM tonight.
We’ve gotten a bit behind in posting videos from the ArtPrize Lunch Box series and will catch up soon. These lectures are free, open to the public, and are happening each day at noon at Kendall College of Art and Design for the rest of the week. For a full list of these and other events, check out the Calendar page on ArtPrize.org.
Today’s lecture was a really good one. Three of the top design minds from Steelcase, James Ludwig, Brett Kincaid, and Jessie Storey, talk about ArtPrize from a designer’s perspective. They look at ArtPrize as a platform and attempt to “reverse engineer” a design brief. Is ArtPrize a work of art in itself? How does ArtPrize differ from typical art institutions? What does it mean for an institution to be self-managing? How does democracy play into all of this?
Check out the full video after the jump. Leave your thoughts in the comments, and don’t miss the remaining Lunch Box Series lectures.
