Artist registration is open now for the fourth annual ArtPrize. Part art competition, part social experiment, the event overtakes downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, bringing in hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the country.
Designed to be a simple yet transformative experience for both artist and audience, ArtPrize is a platform on which artists are given absolute freedom to experiment, collaborate and explore new ideas. Artist registration is open at www.artprize.org now through May 24.
“We expect more than 350,000 people to visit ArtPrize in 2012,” said Kevin Buist, director of artist relations. “These are art lovers of all experience and background, ranging from novice to expert.
Distinguishing ArtPrize from any other competition is the total value of the prizes, $560,000 dollars in 2012, which will be awarded to 16 artists based on public vote and a host of jurors.”It’s a big year for the juried awards,” added Buist. “We’ve added a $100,000 Juried Grand Prize, determined by a committee of three.” This year’s committee includes Jerry Saltz, senior critic with New York magazine, and Tom Eccles, executive director of the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College.
In addition to the Juried Grand Prize, there are five juried awards based on category, each awarding $20,000. The prizes and jurors are:
- Two-Dimensional Work – Tyler Green, editor of Modern Art Notes and columnist for Modern Painters Magazine
- Three-Dimensional Work- Lisa Frieman, senior curator and chair of the Department of Contemporary Art at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and curator of the US Pavilion at the 2011 Venice Biennale
- Time/Performance-Based Work – Cathy Edwards, director of Performance Programs at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas in New Haven, Connecticut
- Use of Urban Space – Susan Szenasy, editor-in-chief of Metropolis magazine
- Outstanding Venue – Tom Eccles
These juried awards happen alongside the prizes determined by public vote. Ten winners are chosen in two rounds of voting. First place receives $200,000, second $75,000, third $50,000 and fourth through tenth each receive $5,000.
ArtPrize is unlike any other public art event, any location in the city can host art, and any artist in the world can enter. The work is not centrally curated, each of the nearly 200 venues—from art museums to parks to businesses—design their own exhibition and work directly with artists.
Artists can register at artprize.org/get-involved/artists/ through May 24, but are encouraged to enter now as venues make their selections early. ArtPrize 2012 is September 19 to October 7.
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