Last year's ArtPrize garnered more than 400,000 visitors, and attracted artists from all fifty states and forty-seven countries. ArtPrize 2014 features more than eighteen hundred artists, whose work will be on display at 174 venues, including banks, breweries, coffee shops, pedestrian bridges, salons, churches, and even construction sites.
This year's ArtPrize, which runs September 24 through October 12, involves a few changes:
The Juried Grand Prize has increased to $200,000, and the number of finalists has doubled from a "Top 10" to a "Final 20" in the competition's second round of voting. This increase makes the Juried Grand Prize equal to the Grand Prize for the Public Vote Awards. The Grand Prize Public Vote winner will become the artist who earns the most votes. As in previous years, an artist could potentially win both a public vote and juried prize. To register for the public vote, click here.
Also new for 2014, artists will submit their work into one of four categories: 2-D, 3-D, Time Based, or Installation. Eight $20,000 category awards will be given out—four decided by public vote and four decided by expert jury. In total, $560,000 will be awarded, making this one of the largest art prizes in the world.
In partnership with ART21, a PBS series on contemporary art, ArtPrize will host a preview screening on October 2 of ART21's Art in the 21st Century, which is beginning its seventh season. The event will include a panel discussion with ART21 executive director Susan Sollins and the show's featured artists, Katharina Grosse and Leonardo Drew. The events panelists are part of the ArtPrize grand prize jury. For more information about this event, click here.
Kevin Buist, ArtPrize director of exhibitions, said he's excited about SiTE:LAB's installation. The two-time winner of the outstanding venue juried award will take over The Morton, a vacant ninety-year-old hotel in downtown Grand Rapids. A grand entry lobby, abandoned restaurants, ballroom, commercial spaces, and a 1,500-square-foot bank vault will provide the context for an exhibition of site-specific installations curated by Paul Amenta. The Morton is in a transitional phase, under renovation by Rockford Construction Company. For more information about this installation, click here.
At the Gillett Bridge, "The Grand River Checkpoint Project," winner of "Pitch Night" at the Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis, will replicate a border crossing, complete with guardhouse, Gillett Bridge border control officer, and an array of regulatory and informational signs. Click here for more information about this installation.
ArtPrize also offers educational supplements and training, to help children make the most of their ArtPrize experience. Whether visiting with your own children or bringing students from your classroom, these materials can enrich your visit. Training for teachers is also available. For more information about education resources, click here.
