Artprize 2012 Final Thoughts

     Now that Artprize is over for another year, and I've had some time to think about it, some final thoughts.  Take them for what they are worth.

      As usual, I didn't see as much of it as I wanted.  As usual, I get worked up over all the crap I see, or at least what I consider crap.  Art is in the eye of the beholder as they say.  But there was the good mixed in with the bad.  

I photographed the "Lights over GR" event.  I thought it was amazing.  People complained it had been done before.  I don't care.  If you look at Art history, pretty much everything has been done before.  I'm glad it made the top 10.  I wish it would have won, just so something other than a 2d piece would have.  I hope they come back and do it again.  If they do, go see it.

   

     Another view of the piece in the river.  I sort of wish more artists would have used the river, but there are too many restrictions placed on them.  The City of GR is talking about more approvals after the lights launch above, since people complained about them landing in their yard.  I hope they listen and just nod, without making anything more restrictive.

     A piece that while as a geek I like, since it has so many Science Fiction/Fantasy/Model Building qualities, I don't really consider art.  But I did like it, and I laud the person taking the time building it.  But I didn't hear anyone complain that it had been done before, even though I want to believe a company released a model kit like it several years before.

I was mainly there to look at the photography.  I do want to enter this event, but I have had a hard time coming up with a project I want to put my name on, and think is good enough to enter.  I thought the work at Fountain Street Church was among the best at Artprize.  This piece on Disabilities and Sexuality was on the top of my list of best photography.  I'm glad the jurors liked it.  There was another piece in the same venue about a man trapped in a womans body that I liked as well.  I'm glad the church added these two artists and others to its venue.  I don't imagine they were popular subjects in Grand Rapids.

Todd and Brad Reed, two landscape photographers from the Ludington area, took over a hallway in Park Church.  While I like their work, to me it looked like they were trying advertise/sell their work rather than winning the contest.  Maybe I need to just consider doing that as well.  The did have a lot of nice work though.

A lot/all of the music performances took place at the St. Cecilia Music Center.   They offered a set of iPods in the basement with the artists performances on them.  It was nice to sit there and listen, but there were at lot.  I should have stayed there longer though.  Some of the music was on sale at the site store, but not all.

All in all, I enjoyed most of it.  I get worked up over people telling others how long it took to make their art, since that shouldn't matter.  People should just view the art and decide what it does/does not do for them.  But people do pay attention to statements like that.  I also tell myself I need to take some time off and see more of it, but I didn't this year.  Hopefully next.