The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) will feature 17 artists showcasing their work on the grounds of the Museum at the upcoming ArtPrize festival from September 19 through October 7, 2018.
Each year the GRPM curates a rewarding experience with approachable art that is intriguing, distinctive and engages the viewer’s capacity for awe and curiosity. Located in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids along the busy river walkway, the GRPM is able to offer a not-to-be-missed immersive, 24-hour experience.
During ArtPrize Ten the GRPM will be open with regular Museum hours and half off general admission fees. The GRPM will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays of ArtPrize. For more information about artists, exhibitions, special programming and tickets visit grpm.org.
This year the GRPM will be participating in the public celebration of ArtPrize 10 on Saturday, October 6 at Rosa Parks Circle from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Attendees will be able to create miniature chairs and meet Carla Hartman.
ArtPrize Educational Programming:
The Museum once again will host a special Chair Camp offered by ArtPrize for over 1,500 school-aged children. In this hands-on activity, Carla Hartman (granddaughter of Charles and Ray Eames) leads children in creating miniature chairs that are displayed around the Museum. Chair Camp will take place October 3, 4 and 5.
Students will create miniature chairs drawing inspiration from previous examples, Eames designs, the Museum’s Collections including pieces from the Chairmania exhibit and their own imagination and creativity.
This year the GRPM will also be participating in Early Childhood Fridays on Friday, September 28 in Ah-Nab-Awen park.
The Artists:
Broken Wings – Pamela Alderman
Broken Wings is an artistic response to the hostile environment created by bullying and tragedies such as Columbine, Parkland, and Santa Fe. These beautiful butterflies painted on interactive panels are a call to action. Let us start a butterfly effect to end the suffering, chaos, and brokenness and uplift our children to a peaceful future.
Sonder – Megan Altieri
The term “sonder” is the realization that every person passing by is living a life just as deep and complex as your own. In this piece the artist illustrates this phenomenon with garments on a clothesline, all hand stamped with snippets of conversation she overheard from passing strangers who wore similar garments. Sonder challenges the viewer to forego the all too common feeling of self-important for the truth that we are all dots among a sea of equally valuable dots.
Mandala Light Field – Miya Ando
In this free-standing art installation, four banners create an open room with Bodhi leaf mandala work on each wall. As viewers move about the room the mandalas’ color changes as a result of layered painting. The banners are a semi-translucent fabric painted with phosphorescence so that they glow at night.
Peace Totem – Scott Brazeau
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” – Helen Keller. Inspired by this quote the artist has created Peace Totem to stand for the good people can do when they simply set aside their differences. The metal sculpture contains multicultural elements that come together to make a totem for all.
Spirit Brothers 2 The Angry Cougar – Alan Brown
This 32-inch-tall, Colorado Marble, sculpture depicts a cougar and a man back to back in ornate Native American style.
Geode – Carlson Garcia
Geode is a combination of sculpture, soundscape, and visual projection. These series of crystal-like shapes use video-mapping technology to from glowing geode sculptures. Real-time sound synthesis changes the light patterns on the fabric walls creating an immersive experience.
The Entomologist – Anna Donahue
This 15-foot paper mâché sculpture puts viewers in the world of an insect as the hands of the entomologist reach down to collect a specimen. Viewers are encouraged to step into the cupped hands and become the specimen.
Moonhead Man – Jeff Glode Wise
Moonhead Man is a masterpiece of figurative work and architecturally based design. As the viewer walks around the sculpture changing perspectives reveal a wide range of shapes, forms, emotions, and imagery. The figure and its pentisatal seem to come to life and even shimmer as negative and positive space shifts and cast bronze, concrete, and steel patterns move in and out of view.
Growing Community! – Mary Steenwyk
The children and staff at Jenison Christian School, Evergreen Ministries, and the children in Aware, Ethiopia have been exchanging artwork and building a relationship for the past three years. In this art piece the handprints of the children come together in a display of the community created by open hands. This eight-foot sculpture made from wood, fabric, yarn, wire, beads, acrylic paint, and sand is a testament to the work hands do by promoting justice, peace and growth in communities
Living Landscape – Judy A. Steiner
Inspired by Monet’s seaside landscapes, “Living Landscape” is a painting created entirely out of living succulent plants. As the viewer approaches from afar, the image of a cottage can be clearly seen. As the viewer draws closer the beautiful succulents appear. Over 3,000 individual plants were used to from the 3.5′ x 4.5′ planted image.
Ode To A not Too Distant Past – Eleanor Swan
‘Ode To A Not Too Distant Past’ is a political and social comment on the consequences of the recession centred around the construction industry. Many years have past, but we are still struggling to recover. The sculpture consists of two glazed stoneware ceramic torsos sitting back to back amid 500 houses. After the exhibition, 450 houses will be sold through the Grand Rapids Public Museum and the funds given to Kids’ Food Basket in Grand Rapids.
Alnilam – Nathan Swan
This elegant sculpture was hand made from glass.
Enchanted Moments – Taro Takizawa
As viewers step into this space the walls become more than just the backdrop of our day to day lives. With flowing and dynamic, yet relaxing, lines and shapes these walls become a part of the activity of the day. This new energy benefits the minds and moods of the visitors.
Copper Tritscheller
This bronze statue, created in 2015, shows a bat in a reclining position.
Quantum Meditation – Julian Voss-Andreae
This vanishing figure was inspired by the artist’s background in quantum physics. Made up of evenly spaced, parallel slabs of polished stainless steel, when the figure is viewed directly from the front it disappears as the viewer looks through the panels rather than at them.
Beez Kneez Pleez – Hope Wallace
Beez Knees Pleez is a ten-foot ceramic sculpture that takes a lighthearted approach to the serious issue of bee endangerment. The stacked honeycomb, flowers, bees, and other creatures is a nod to the role bees play in the delicate balance of our ecosystem. The concept came about after the artist participated in a group, called “The Bee Swarm” in the Marche du Nain Rouge parade in Detroit. After noticing the serverly of the decline in local bee populations and acquiring a love for their artistic form the artist created this structure to call us all to save the bees we so vitally need.
Stilts (one dozen) – Liscano, Valimaki, Yu
Stilts’ is a steel and aluminum sculpture. At 25 inches wide by 4-6 feet deep this piece depicts one dozen men on high stilts.
