Here are the Top Ten finalists in the big art competition being held throughout downtown Grand Rapids, MI. On Friday the winner of the $250,000 prize will be announced. In all, $560,000 in total prize money -- $360,000 awarded by public vote, $200,000 awarded by a select group of art experts will be handed out.
These ten were chosen by popular vote (not jurors, the public are the voters) from a field of 1517 entries.
Who do you think will be the winner? Who is your favorite?
"Rebirth of Spring" by Frits Hoendervanger
Stick-to-it-ive-ness: Unwavering pertinacity; perseverance by Richard Morse
"Origami" by Kumi Yamashita
"Song of Lift" by Martijn van Wagtendonk
"Return to Eden" by Sandra Bryant
"Elephants" by Adonna Khare
"The Chase" by a team of artists
"Life in Wood" by Dan Heffron
"City Band" by Chris LaPorte
"Lights in the Night" by Mark Carpenter and Don Johnson
Comments
Which one do you think will win the top prize?
I'm betting on the mosaic. A huge mosaic won last year.
The descriptions on the site are what the artist submitted in their proposal to the ArtPrize committee. The info is added to the site when they find a "venue" and are accepted and not updated again. So, yes, the piece is complete now and on exhibit like the image shown.
Maybe I read it wrong, but is the mosaic actually done? The description says it is a preliminary sketch of what they MIGHT do.
I like those Elephants too.
The reason, I think, that there are these two drawings in the Top Ten is that everyone has tried to draw at one time or another and everyone knows how hard it is, or exactly where their personal talents in this media lie. Do we know about the mosaic, the painting, the sculpture? Not so much.
I love the "song of lift" too. Each year there has been one of these beautiful floating pieces in the Top Ten and people love them. Me too.
Yup, Connie. There ya go.
(And to be clear...I'm not being bitter or envious. I just put on my critic's hat. That's all.)
I like the "Song of Lift".
elephants gets my vote
The lanterns are cool and it is very beautiful and a special moment when you are part of it, but I have seen this many times in different parts of the world. Maybe not on such a big scale, but it has been done and is done all the time. It even is the subject in the Disney movie Tangled. Very organized group that did it though.
So, there you go, David. Some derivative work? The very interesting thing about this competition is that anyone who registers can vote, so sometimes the winners really reflect that "popular" point of view. Good and bad. It brings people out because they have a say in the winners and get to lobby for their favorites. It also takes it away from the museums and curators -- I think, good, but sigh a little at some of the choices.
It also discourages more alternative/contemporary ideas that you would often see in a "modern art" setting. Good and bad. But how fun that the people can speak? How often does this happen? Trying to bridge the gap between pushing the ideas further and bringing in new audiences is the challenge.
I love the Elephants too.
The "City Band" artist won the top prize 2 years ago. Here is the post about that: http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2160589%3ABlog...
I think you'll enjoy reading it.
And, while the horses in the water sculpture is really wonderful, it is so very much like the work of Deborah Butterfield (http://www.google.com/search?q=deborah+butterfield&hl=en&ne...), I had to look twice to see that it was not hers.
Kind of makes you shake your head a bit.
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next