Grand Rapids, Michigan is a vibrant place to be! Today I took in ArtPrize. If you have not heard about this event, it is a city-wide art competition where artists have the opportunity to win 250,000. It's the first year running - hopefully it won't be the last as it has brought people out to share and celebrate not just the art but all of the great things this city has to offer: talented people, great restaurants, museums and a lovely downtown waterfront.Today I saw a giant table and chairs on one of the city bridges by painter Sarah Grant. There is tons of contemporary art throughout the streets and some gems displayed inside various shops/restaurants that are hosting works of art.
This weekend the streets were crowded with people (10,000 apparently!) to see one of the events - the dropping of 100,000 paper airplanes from the tops of building by artist Rob Bliss. He created a rainbow of colorful airplanes flying through the Grand Rapids skyline. Check out the video!
A fantastic event that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is still on until the end of the week so get out and see some art!..It's clear that although this was an artist competition, the real winner has been the city of Grand Rapids - through successfully enticing people to get out and enjoy all the city has to offer.
(Pictures: Top: The Furniture City Sets the Table for the World of Art by Sarah Grant; Below: Project Propagate by Sally England and Nick Stockton)
