ArtPrize 2016: Downtown wanderings

Hello again, my friends! My second round with ArtPrize this year involved wandering around downtown while pushing a stroller alongside a friend doing the same. I must admit, our two-year-old boys found the most satisfaction in the multiple firetruck sightings available to them.

Disclaimer: In no way is this post representative of the whole walking-ArtPrize-outside experience. We really just wandered a bit so I am sure there is much we missed. A few notables that we enjoyed are listed below.

Birdzels
Mark Chatterly

These appealed to me in a whimsical sort of way. I enjoy collections of things and multiples visually and these guys had a friendly look to them. My two-year-old called them "owls" and I don't think he is too far off the mark. They are located along the river outside of the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

How I Make a Mark: Responding to a Carousel
Patrick Schmidt

This abstract piece composed of intersecting lines decorates the glass windows outside of the Public Museum's carousel room. It appealed to me because it was bright and colorful and because of the contrast it made with the more ornate and classical figures of the carousel animals. It looked especially cool from a distance. This is easily achievable as a statement wall in your home – don't ya think?

I like to think I am expanding his appreciation of art!

Astrobleme
Joshua Welker

Like an exploded Rubik's Cube! Again, my love affair with bright color.

Rock Around
Aaren Zenz

Points for the kid appeal. This one is just plain cute. Every painted rock has a twin hidden around the city of Grand Rapids. A fun way to explore with your children. Find the installation outside the Grand Rapids Children's Museum.

ArtPrize 2016: Meijer Gardens

I dipped my toe into ArtPrize with a stop at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. While there were several interesting pieces that I will chat about below, there was nothing that totally wowed me. Definitely some pieces I would vote thumbs up on but nothing I would beg you to go see with your own eyeballs. Know what I mean? And of course I am lucky enough to experience art with my children in tow; I am always amused at their reactions. They seem very accepting of absurdity.

The pieces on display at the Meijer Gardens are all fitting the chosen theme: Almost Home: Grand Rapids In Focus. So each artist is reacting in some way to our city, whether or not that experience was one of a native or an outsider.

Ditch Lily Drawing
Nathan Lareau

This one appealed to both myself and my children because it is made of the dried stems left behind when day lilies are done blooming. My kiddos are always plucking them up out of the ground and repurposing them as wands and swords and nature stew stirrers. So they were quite delighted to realize that was what this piece was created with. The other element that makes this piece special is light and shadow. I will admit it is rather simple but I like it all the same. And yes, it does make me wonder what I could glue to the wall!

Seeking Stillness
Joyce Recker

I like the nest! Y'all know I really like nests and I can appreciate the artist's use of one as a symbol of home and shelter. As a designer, I appreciate small, well thought-out details and this piece does not disappoint. The end caps of the bottom piece of wood are each tiny little house shapes, stained in a darker contrasting color. Love that.

Bundle Field
Kurt Kaiser and John Cloud Kaiser

The impact of this aptly named installation was bright and cheerful and oh-so-big. Apparently the two artists hosted several gatherings where the guests worked together to construct these giant bundles all made of a crazy kaleidoscope of repurposed materials roped together. I like the community aspect of this and the idea of what is basically an art-making party really appeals to me. And of course I appreciate the bright colors!

Ode to W. Haldane (Pearl & Ottawa)
Cheryl Wassenaar

The artist for this piece has family ties to Grand Rapids and the furniture industry. In fact, the tools and the work bench both belonged to her father. The more intriguing aspect for me is of course the pieces of furniture that are emerging from the wall. I think they are a suitable symbol for all of history, personal and corporate as they are a subtle presence at all times – blending in but also being unavoidable.

DC inspiration: Renwick Gallery (part 1)

I have the most pleasant memories of visiting this museum. I squeezed it in on the morning we flew out so it felt like a bonus treat! The print piece I picked up touted "the new Renwick Gallery" but having no experience with the old Renwick I can't really make a clear comparison. My understanding is that this beautiful, classic building once housed beautiful, classic art (and Civil War generals for a time) but has switched focus to house new and innovative art. And that, my friends, is what makes this place so special. The juxtaposition (ah, that is a college word for me!) of the old/new and classic/modern is what makes experiencing art in this place an adventure.

Furthermore, my visit here made me realize how much good stuff I get exposed to in my hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Between the world-class Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park to the autumn insanity of ArtPrize I had previously experienced almost all of the artists who had work on display there. They felt like familiar friends that I was delighted to spend time with once again.

Many favorites:

Shindig by Patrick Doughtery
Delightful, whimsical, swirling, whirling, spinning, twisting spaces made of twigs and branches woven together. Peek-a-boo portholes and sculpture you can wander in and out of made me miss my kiddos. I know the Meijer Gardens had an exhibit with him – yes, back in 2007. Please visit his website and enjoy! Playful, nature-inspired, and unlike anything I've seen before – this is an artist after my own heart!

Plexus A1 by Gabriel Dawe (see first image in this post)
Brilliant and beautiful and made merely of thread. I know I saw a piece by him in the Kendall Building… yes, it was Plexus No. 18 during ArtPrize 2012.

Untitled by Tara Donovan
These mountains that fill an entire gallery are made entirely of blank index cards! For real. Love it. The link brings you to a slideshow of 29 different pieces by her. They are wildly unexpected.

Anonymous Donor by Chakaia Booker
Again, I have both the Meijer Gardens and ArtPrize to thank for my familiarity with this artist. She creates sculptures out of recycled tires. But they don't look like tires anymore. I am seeing a trend in my preferences for art made of unusual or unexpected materials.

I have one more piece I absolutely must share multiple photos of so you are just going to have to come back tomorrow, dear reader!

Amanda at ArtPrize 2014: Women's City Club

This has been one of my favorite venues thus far (I will admit at this writing I haven't been to either the Art Museum or the UICA both of which I expect to be fabulous). I was leery of taking my three-year-old in as I had visions of crashing antiques but they were well-prepared for visitors and had great gallery space set up on the lower level. I am wondering if I am more traditional in my art tastes than I thought!

A few of my favorite photography pieces:

Flight by Tim Priest
Such dramatic beauty.

The Bus Never Stopped by Richard Deming Jr.
So last winter was indeed trying. But this image is beautiful.

Lake of the Clouds Sunrise by Kevin Clifford
I might be partial to this image having vacationed in the Upper Peninsula near this place.


A lovely wood block print:

Woodland Wisdom by Donna Mitchell-Collins
I always love the look of any type of block printing. And of course nature as a theme is always beautiful to me.


And of course anything involving fabric and fiber interests me:

Snow by Gloria McRoberts
So so very beautiful and amazing. She really captured the stillness that envelopes a landscape adrift with snow. I would love to watch how she created this.

Carroots by Toni Johnson Mendina
It's quilting! It's fabric! It's inspiring to me. I need to do some experimental wall hangings of my own. Check out the layers of soil.

Amanda at ArtPrize 2014: Meijer Gardens

Since this is the last week of ArtPrize I better show you what I want to show you while you still have a chance to see it for yourself!

While I wasn't as impressed with the exhibit at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park as I was in years past, there are still a few pieces worth discussing. I didn't know that photography was allowed (without flash) until I was on my way out so these photos are from the ArtPrize website.

This piece, Armonico CLXVII by Antonella Zazzera, was my very favorite. It is woven out of copper wire and it the size of it amazing. Something so large composed of small, thin strands. It has serious presence.

This one – Wallwave Vibration (anatomy of a diagram) by Loris Cecchini – was pretty awesome as well. I think it made the jury's short list if I remember right. I appreciate that it is all textural and that soft shadows become just as much a part of it as the material it was made of (polyester resub if you were curious).

Feather Child 1 by Lucy Glendinning was just plain disturbing. I can't forget it. I've never seen anything like it before.

This one – House by Osman Khan – also continues to haunt me. My children wanted to buy it sice it was for sale – I think they had visions of playing house – but I can't get it out of my mind for more disturbing reasons. The house is so stark and empty and lonely. And those lights remind me of some very un-home-like places, places that people might live but feel (and are) so much more institutional. There's a better image in this mlive slideshow.

I also feel this one – Die Hutte Brennt / The Shed is on Fire by Katrin Albrecht – deserves a mention. I was intrigued by the medium: bricks made of compressed clothing but not so excited about the installation itself.

Amanda at ArtPrize 2014: Cathedral Square

Kind of a self-centered title isn't it? Hee. Like I'm a celebrity or a famous art critic. You do have to admit there is a bit of confidence in even writing a blog though. Or at least a crisis in confidence. As a writer, you do wonder if you have anything worthy to share. Of course, 500+ posts later, I guess I've gotten over that!

At any rate, with a toddler and a baby in tow, my strategy is going to be drive in, hit a "big one" (ArtPrize calls them "exhibition centers" and "showcase venues") and get back out before anyone needs a diaper or a snack. I've done this only once so far but it seemed to be a successful method.

My favorites at Cathedral Square involve fabric – but of course!

I was surprised and delighted to see a magnificent quilt "Random Thoughts" by Elizabeth Brandt who I just wrote about after visiting the Grand Rapids Art Museum. Loved it very very much! I really think I am up for something experimental and abstract like this in the future.

And, a close-up.

I also admired this quilt "Rooflines #15" by Collen Kole as well. There is so much about the piecing and the quilting that I don't even begin to know how to do. And the time. Oh, I cannot imagine the time put into either of these. Even my 3-year-old was a fan.

And another close-up. Must admire the quilting.

The installation "Place in History" caught my eye. As a parent, I appreciated the generous "ok to touch." As a home decorator, I pondered the delightful sense of hidden space created by the hanging fabric panels. As an artist and quilter, I admired the tiny details sewn on each panel. The piece was just interesting to me.

Although I don't have a photo to share, I also want to give a shout out to photographer Megan Sinderson and her lovely portraits of pinecones titled "Passerby". You know I can never get over the surprise and delight to be found in our own backyards time and again!

ArtPrize 2013: Silkwaves in the Grand

These billowing banners, Silkwaves in the Grand by Al & Laurie Roberts of California, are placed within the Grand River where they sway and move with the wind. Together they create an object of beauty and color. This piece is truly a delight to watch (and photograph!).

Of a related material and location and beauty is Hydro-Anthem by Liz Miller of Good Thunder, Minnesota. The warm colors contrast beautifully with the freshly-painted Blue Bridge. I was also a fan of her 2012 entry titled Imperious Decorum.

ArtPrize 2013: Anne Loveless is back!

Anne Loveless is back at the Ford Museum with another beautiful quilt as painting.  Read my post on fabric pieces from ArtPrize 2012, including her entry, which I also loved. This year's piece is entitled Sleeping Bear Dune Lakeshore. I am so very thrilled to see fabric and sewing and quilting on display as the artform they truly are. This is a good lesson in how important the quilting itself can be as an element in a quilt piece like this.

ArtPrize 2013: glass as ocean

There are three other ArtPrize pieces from our recent visit to the Meijer Gardens I want to share with you. All are blue in tone and bring to mind, at least for me, bodies of water. So amazing and lovely to see a solid transformed into the liquidity and fluidity of water.

This piece, Ocean Blue Wave by Mary Shaffer of El Prado, New Mexico, captures the liquid movement of waves and appealed to me in its regal simplicity.

This piece, Iceberg & Paraphernalia by Peter Bremers of Born, Netherlands, was fittingly inspired by icebergs and reminds me not only of ice but also of trapped air bubbles and floating.

Which, at the moment of writing this, reminds me of a fiction novel I recently read about an early 20th century man frozen in an iceberg who was brought to life by modern-day scientists. Totally fascinating read. Check it out: The Curiosity by Stephen P. Kiernan.

This piece, Sea-Forms by Michael Behrens of Dusseldorf, Germany, was also beautiful and lace-like. I would love to better understand how this piece was actually formed. Several nearby children described it as looking like a "shark's fin," which is quite fitting.

ArtPrize 2013: glass as lace

Last Saturday we went as a family to the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park to see their ArtPrize exhibit, which features glass. I love glass as a medium anyway so I was greatly anticipating  this show. It is amazing to see the wide range of work that artists are turning out using glass. Do not be expecting a row of vases!

This piece, Cascade by Kait Rhoads of Seattle, Washington, is made up of small rings of glass that are woven together using wire and then formed in such a way that it reminds me of a draping piece of lace… or perhaps an octopus! I just love the way a solid like glass can be formed to look like a liquid or even a sea creature.

This piece, Silva Rerum (Forest of Things) by Anna Skibska of Seattle, Washington, is one of my very favorites of ArtPrize thus far. I adore it when I see a piece that is so very different than anything I have every experienced before. Thin, delicate rods of glass are fused together and then grow upward, forming ghostly tree-like shapes. It reminds me of a spiderweb, clear, so thin but simultaneously strong.  The lighting itself is another important element of this piece, adding a magical and mystical fairytale presence to the piece.