ArtPrize announces six neighborhood exhibition centers, opening of venue registration

Deborah Johnson Wood

In an effort to make it easier for visitors to get to more venues during ArtPrize 2010, six new exhibition centers have been selected as beginning points where visitors can register to vote, shop for ArtPrize memorabilia and see works by at least 25 artists at each location.

Each of the exhibition centers is a nonprofit organization. ArtPrize officials hope the centers will encourage visitors to explore more areas of the three-square-mile downtown exhibit district. The exhibition centers are:
• Grand Rapids Art Museum
• Diocese of Grand Rapids' Cathedral Square
• Women's City Club
• Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts
• Grand Rapids Public Museum
• Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, the only center outside the downtown district.

"David Hooker is the president of Meijer Gardens and an ArtPrize board member, and Meijer Gardens was active in curating some of the downtown locations last year," says Rick DeVos, ArtPrize founder. "They wanted to open up their spaces at the gardens and provide a shuttle at their expense in and out of downtown."

DeVos says each exhibition center will be sponsored and professionally curated. The curators will respond to artists' requests for venues, selecting the art for the venue, choosing its placement in the venue and managing the show as an overall experience.

Registration this year is more structured due to having more time. Last year, venues and artists registered at the same time. This year, venues register from March 15 to April 15; artists register from April 19 to May 27. Artist and venue matching takes place from June 1 to July 1. ArtPrize 2010 runs from September 22 through October 10.

Venues pay $100 to register, artists pay $50.

"We're not making any estimates on numbers of participants this year," DeVos says. "Part of the fun and excitement is not really knowing what people will do from year to year. We'll just wait to see what happens."

Source: Rick DeVos, ArtPrize; Michael Zalewski, Seyferth & Associates

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Development News tips can be sent to [email protected].