ArtPrize call for venues and artists begins

Aside from the art itself and of course the size of the monetary awards, arguably the most astounding aspect of ArtPrize in Grand Rapids is the number and variety of venues that participate. They can range from the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) to a police station, with a variety of restaurants, shops, offices, churches and more in between. Now, the 2018 Artprize call for venues begins.

Appropriate Venues

Venues may be public or private, indoor or out, large of small so long as they:

• Can be open, accessible and free to the public for at least the minimum required hours
• Meet all city, state, and federal codes
• Are located within the ArtPrize District

The district spans three square miles of downtown Grand Rapids, and any space within its boundary can be an ArtPrize venue. The boundary extends north to Leonard Street and south to Wealthy Street, with its western border marked by Alpine Avenue NW/Straight Avenue SW and by College Ave on the eastern border.

Businesses and organizations interested in becoming venues for ArtPrize 2018 can register to participate by Thursday, April 5. Artists interested in exhibiting may register beginning on April 16.

Reasons to Apply

Last year, 175 venues, including 40 new spaces, hosted 1,346 works of art and welcomed more than 500,000 visitors during the 19-day event.

All ArtPrize venues are eligible for the $12,500 “Outstanding Venue Juried Award,” won last year by The Fed Galleries @ KCAD on the Kendall College of Art & Design campus. They can also apply for a grant to assist in the production of their 2018 exhibition. A total of $45,000 in grants will be awarded to venues.

Artprize Key Dates

Other key dates along the way include:

• April 25 – artists and venues connections starts
• June 7 – artist registration ends
• June 28 – artist and venue connections ends
• Sept 12 – preview week starts
• Sept 19 – ArtPrize opening day
• Sept 24 – juried award finalists announced
• Sept 30 – public award finalists announced
• Oct 5 – Artprize awards ceremony
• Oct 7 – Last day of Artprize

Last year, organizers awarded a total of $487,500 in cash prizes – $200,000 each for juried and public vote grand prize winners, and seven category award winners at $12,500 each.