GRAND RAPIDS, (WZZM) – With more than 1500 art pieces featured in ArtPrize 2014, some entries are standing out purely for their size.
Jim Cogswell's River Tattoo is on display in the windows of Grand Valley's Eberhard Center. The 85-foot adhesive installation looks like a mosaic of colored fragments, reflecting the Grand River and the Blue Bridge in the background.
"At first, I thought it was really part of the building itself," said David Rost of Battle Creek. He and his wife admired the large display as they crossed the river.
"It takes a lot of patience and creativity to make these objects of art," Jean Rost said.
Tonya Nielsen's 12-foot high, three-dimensional NOW is covered in clocks from around the world. The imposing structure sits adjacent to the Gerald R. Ford Museum. A group of children focused on a 'Hello-Kitty' clock found among the 1200 plus clocks covering the sculpture.
Dean Kugler said it was his visit to ArtPrize four years ago that inspired him to return to sculpting. This year, his piece Gravity, a 22-foot blinded angel, is attracting large crowds.
"I think public art is that bridge between the artist and the viewer," Kugler said. "So you're able to convey thoughts, ideas and motions I think to the public through that process rather than the intimate scale of small pieces that usually go in the house."
