ArtPrize 2014 has arrived, and brought with it summer-like weather! I was supposed to be working on my blog re-design yesterday. Instead the warmer temperatures and a blazing ball of sunshine beckoned me outside. Lucky for me, my entire city is currently an art exhibit. It was truly an incredible day.

It’s difficult not to share every single photo I took yesterday. If you’re not familiar with ArtPrize, you can read about it here. The more you learn about it, the more you’re going to want to plan an early autumn trip to Grand Rapids. This isn’t just another local art contest. Artists from all over the world converge on the city of Grand Rapids for 3 weeks. The public gets a say in the voting. There are sculptures in the park, statues on the streets, murals on buildings, installations in the river, musical entries, and even a burlesque show titled ArtPrize, The Musical. It’s a spectacle.

I shared the featured photo above on Twitter last night. That particular exhibit has received quite a lot of buzz, with good reason. I had to see it twice yesterday. I hope to see it again before it’s gone. I don’t know how, but I got a few seconds alone with “Intersections” by Anila Quayyum Agha last night. My husband snapped a photo of me gazing upon it in awe. The cube that seems suspended in midair is carved from wood. The light on the inside casts intricate shadows all over the installation space. This piece has a room all to itself inside the Grand Rapids Art Museum.

I saw hundreds of pieces of art yesterday. There are about 1,000 more to see. I won’t be bored anytime over the next couple of weeks. Oh, and while I was out in search of entries, I stumbled upon a park I haven’t visited in nearly 20 years. Since it’s less than a mile from my house, I really can’t say why I haven’t been there. I forgot about it I guess. The view of the city from that park is stunning. In a couple of weeks, all of the trees in this picture will be splattered in reds, oranges and yellows. I will be back for that for sure.

 

Here is the featured photo again. If you want to see all of the intricacy in larger detail, just click on it to open it up:

 

Good luck to all of my magically creative friends who have entries this year! I can’t wait to stop by and admire your talent!

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