I was just reading Jeremy Browne's blog post and started to think about other venues to expose your work at. Then, Art Prize came to mind. I was just wondering if there were any artists here who are planning to submit a piece of work for Art Prize. I figure that entering a piece of art to Art Prize must take considerable planning well in advance.
Do we have any artists here that are working on a special piece for Art Prize? If so, let us know. I would imagine that you would want to keep your piece secret as to what you are working on so we don't expect you to let us in on your project. However, it would be fun to rally behind our members who are busy working and creating.
Last fall several AFI members went to Art Prize and there was a lot of discussion about several of the pieces and what won. AFI has to have a potential winner in our midst.
Let us know if you are busy working on a submission for Art Prize 2012. And this year, I am going!!
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That makes sense, too. Are all the entries spread out far away from other entries?
The original concept was for Art Prize to be totally democratic. It was the responsibility of artists and venues to connect with each other. That way, venues could look for artists that they like. And artists could look for venues that have a space appropriate for their work. The Art Prize website has tons of info about each venue so the artist can check each one out online before applying for a space. Of course, locals have the opportunity to check out the venues in person... an advantage that out of town artists don't have. All in all, I think the venue/artist system works pretty well. It makes it more personal, not at the whim of some art prize juror.
I will be sure to look for your postings. I have never gone up to Grand Rapids for Art Prize and it isn't all that far away. I am planning on it for this year.
I think it sounds crazy that the artist has to secure their own spot. How would an out of towner know which places would be the good spots. I would think that the Art Prize committee would assign the spots so that they are within a reasonable distance of the viewers and voters. That makes more sense to me. Maybe I will think differently about it after I go see it later this year.
Good luck on your project.
I've participated in ArtPrize for the last two years, and I plan to create a submission this year as well. I think it's a very unusual and exciting event that brings lots of people to Grand Rapids and generates a lot of discussion about art. This year the considerable prize money will be split between the winners by popular vote and winners by professional jury. I think this is a step forward in the evolution of this event. Without more emphasis on professional juries the event seemed to be evolving into a celebration of kitsch.
There is a lot of kitsch at Art Prize, but there is also a lot of stimulating and interesting art. I'm hoping the changes will bring more of the latter.
To participate in Art Prize, artists must secure a venue where their work will be exhibited. Not all artists secure a venue, so that part of it is competitive. Artists can and should be discriminative about the venue they choose. Some (most) get little traffic and, in the past, had little chance of winning the popularity vote. With the popular vote winners getting only half of the prize money this year, the location of the venue should be less important, but I'd still go for a good location.
My plan is to apply for a venue that has gotten a lot of traffic and exposure in the past. I'll go for one of the museums and study the venue options for other high traffic opportunities.
Jackie, I'm not sure "secrecy" is an issue with Art Prize. I think its just the opposite. You want as many people as possible to see what you're doing to generate some buzz about your entry. I'll be posting my (incomplete) ideas on my Facebook page and my website as I develop my entry.