GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The brains behind ArtPrize 2.0 imagine a festival more beautiful than the sum of its paintings and sculpture work.
Tuesday, the Grand Rapids Committee of the Whole and City Commission approved the festival as a Special Event, permitting a fireworks show during its opening ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 14.
In a morning presentation, Executive Director Catlin Whitington also shared how ArtPrize planned to split a $400,00 prize pool and additional grants.
"This year, our focus is really on setting a foundation for long-term, re-imagining what this event can look like and reinvigorating its presence in the city," Whitington, a former planner for the SXSW film festival, said.
Last year, select artists divvied up a $250,000 purse, but the new-look festival boasts deeper pockets— returning to a six-figure, publicly-selected grand prize not seen since "The String Project" won the coveted award in 2018.
In 2023, the Public Vote Grand Prize winner will take home $125,000, with second and third place receiving $50,000 and $25,000, respectively.
As for the juried awards, five category winners will split a $100,000 pot, while five additional honorable mentions will share $25,000.
In addition, a desire to showcase the work of minority artists afforded the creation of the Visibility Awards. These prizes— the Vanguard, Originators, Horizontes, Crossroads and Prism Awards— will be given to artists from "under-represented communities," totaling $75,000.
"An important prerogative for this year has been to work to really ensure diverse artist representation," said Whitington, citing a "five-fold" increase in the total amount of dollars supporting the initiative.
But no matter the background of ArtPrize 2.0 entrants, Whitington says the festival has not suffered a drop in artist registration, despite last October's change in leadership.
This year, 928 presenting artists will exhibit 687 pieces of artwork— an increase from 2022— while 152 venues plan to host these creatives— a decrease.
"I just want to really use my time to express my gratitude and thanks," Third Ward Commissioner Kelsey Perdue said. "This is very, very exciting."
While the boundaries for ArtPrize 2.0 look like a near copy of years prior, Whitington and company want to expand the festival's reach into the lesser-walked streets of Grand Rapids, including parts of Perdue's third ward.
"I think it's one thing to have art for art's sake, it's another thing to engage the community and really develop those relationships and see what type of activations will work and what will be meaningful," Whitington said.
In the third ward, five "activations" are planned, but the second ward's ArtPrize Oasis received special attention in Whitington's presentation.
"An exhibition of urban landscape design and conceptual placemaking"— the Oasis will transform the 555 Monroe skate park into a temporary community center.
"We are building a park on a piece of concrete for 18 days," Whitington said.
From noon to sundown, ArtPrize will offer a variety of rotating activities at the makeshift park, including yoga, meditation, group art workshops, block parties, and yard games.
"Here we are, 14 years later, and looking at the economic impact [ArtPrize] has had on our city is tremendous," Mayor Rosalynn Bliss said of the festival that put Grand Rapids "on the map."
