A Reflection on ArtPrize
October 10th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
Today is the last day of ArtPrize until next year’s competition. Last year, Todd and I missed the majority of the inaugural installment of ArtPrize because we were on our trip to Machu Picchu. This year we were able to spend a good amount of time downtown during the competition, both for ArtPrize and other unrelated events. The buzz around the social experiment (a term that I dislike for some reason) has been overwhelmingly positive. As a bonafide participant in the ArtPrize 2010 experience, I have to say I completely agree.
Every time I’ve been downtown in the last two weeks the bustle has been amazing. I have never seen so many people walking around in Grand Rapids, it’s felt like a different city, as busy as any day in Chicago. It’s great to see people enjoying and, I think largely, getting to know their city. It makes everything feel so alive.
Another thing is that literally everyone has been downtown. From moms with strollers to groups of hipster kids to businessmen and buses full of senior citizens, people from every walk of life have been walking around to check out the art. ArtPrize has become the most universally popular attraction in this town.
On top of that, everyone seems to have an opinion about what’s good and what’s bad. What’s art and what’s not. It’s a far more stimulating discussion than any I ever had in an art class when I was in school.
One of the things I think of when considering whether to stay in Grand Rapids or to move elsewhere for awhile is the energy of a city. Of course a new place is always exciting and full of things to discover but there are some cities where people are outside all of the time. It was that way when I lived in Buenos Aires and the life that was constantly happening on the streets was invigorating and I miss that. But in these last two weeks of ArtPrize, Grand Rapids has felt that way – lively, exciting, buzzing, energetic.
I am so excited that Grand Rapids has been blessed with ArtPrize. It has woken up the city, it has brought it alive. I am so proud of our little town.
