GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids' biggest art festival is back with hundreds of venues and artists spread all across the downtown and beyond.
ArtPrize 2022 welcomes over 750 artists across 150 venues with $250,000 in prizes for the artists.
ArtPrize kicks off Thursday, Sept. 15 and lasts until Sunday, Oct. 2.
What's new at ArtPrize 2022?
ArtPrize is back to its original yearly format this year with a few new odds and ends that visitors should be aware of. The biggest change to ArtPrize this year is how visitors will find the art and vote for their favorites.
ArtPrize 2022 created a brand new interactive map that shows you everything from art installations, to venues, to parking and even transportation options.
The map will ask you to create a profile and "favorite" entries that you enjoy, which will directly impact how some of the total $175,000 worth of prize money is distributed.
The map essentially takes the place of an ArtPrize app and is available at ArtPrize.org.
What's coming back for ArtPrize 2022?
Pre-pandemic, ArtPrize had a robust amount of events and community interaction and most of that is coming back this year.
One of the bigger community elements of ArtPrize that is returning this year are "education days," where students from all over the state take field trips to Grand Rapids to view and learn about the art and artists. Expect to see students of all ages walking around the city throughout the event.
The “ArtPrize Featured Public Projects” grant that was originally launched in 2016 is returning this year as well. The grant funds six artists to create installations, which are usually very large in scale, around the city.
ArtPrize 2022 Venues
There are nearly 200 venues throughout the city and at some satellite locations outside of the city. Venues work directly with artists over the summer to curate their displays, essentially creating 200 independently organized art shows across Grand Rapids.
Venues can include restaurants, museums, parks, churches, businesses and more. For a list and map of venues, visit the ArtPrize event guide here.
ArtPrize 2022 Voting and Awards
$450,000 will be given to artists directly throughout the event, with over $200,000 of that money being in grants. There is also $172,000 allocated for visitors' favorites and $62,000 awarded by a jury.
ArtPrize visitors vote on their favorite artwork a bit differently than previous years. The interactive map on the ArtPrize website shows each entry and its venue. Next to the entry's name is a star, which will mark the piece as a favorite when selected.
The daily and weekly prizes, which range from $250 to $2,500, will be awarded to artists based on these visitor favorites:
- First Favorited Entry of the Day
- Last Favorited Entry of the Day
- Most Favorited Entry of the Day
- Top Five Favorited Entries in Each District
- Most Favorited During the Weekend
- Most Favorited During the Week
- Top 10 Favorited Entries
- Biggest Jump in One Day
There will also be an Artist-to-Artist Award that is handed out at the end of ArtPrize. Artists will cast a vote for another artist, and $12,500 will go to the winner.
ArtPrize 2022
ArtPrize 2022 Events
For the next 18 days, both ArtPrize and Grand Rapids will be hosting events and festivals that bring thousands to the city. Some events will be happening at various times throughout ArtPrize, like live ice sculpting demonstrations, walking tours, makers markets and more.
Here are some events to add to your calendar this month:
- ArtPrize Maker's Market — Sept. 16, AC Hotel parking lot, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- ArtPrize Community Kickoff — Sept. 16, Calder Plaza, 7-11 p.m.
- ArtPrize Opening Ceremony for Voices 2022 — Sept. 17, Veterans Memorial Park, 10:30 a.m.
- Artist Appreciation Party — Sept. 24, AllArtWorks Viewing Studio, 6-9 p.m.
Grand Rapids will also be hosting community events to bring people downtown to celebrate ArtPrize. Some of these include:
- ArtPrize Drop-In Art Workshop — Sept. 15 and Oct. 1, Rosa Parks Circle, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Cherry Park Concert Series — Sept. 15, Cherry Park, 6-9 p.m.
- ArtPrize Film Screening — Sept. 16, Rosa Parks Circle, 7:45-8:15 p.m.
- Grand Rapids African American Art and Music Festival — Sept. 17, noon to 10 p.m.
- Tour de Food Trucks — Sept. 22, Lookout Park, 6-9:30 p.m.
- Octoberfest GR — Sept. 23-24, Riverside Park
- ArtPrize Mural Reveal — Sept. 24, Mackay Jaycees Park, 4-8 p.m.
For a full list of events at ArtPrize, click here.
Important ArtPrize 2022 Dates
- Sept. 15 - Opening Day
- Sept. 16 - Community Kickoff event at Calder Plaza
- Sept. 30 - Closing celebration with awards at Studio Park
- Oct. 2 - Last Day of ArtPrize
For more information on ArtPrize, click here.
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