By James Herold
This year ArtPrize turns 14, marking 14 years of an independent international art competition in Grand Rapids.
The art competition, founded by Rick DeVos, celebrates artists working in all mediums from anywhere in the world. Since its inception in 2009, millions of people have visited ArtPrize to see thousands of artworks displayed all over downtown.
This year, visitors can count on seeing 650+ works of art from international artists displayed all over downtown Grand Rapids. Visitors can vote for their favorites and help decide the winners. There is more than $600,000 being awarded to artists through public and juried votes.
ArtPrize is under new leadership after briefly halting operations in October 2022. The City of Grand Rapids, Downtown Grand Rapids, Inc., and Kendall College of Art and Design are teaming up to revive the competition, with the new format being dubbed ArtPrize 2.0.
Leaders have previously said that much of the event will be the same as always, though they are looking at ways to “build” on or “scale up” the model.
The event itself is FREE and will begin Sept. 14, and run through Oct. 1.
