ArtPrize

Wow, it's hard to believe that we are getting ready to kick off ArtPrize 8 in less that a week! (Preview week kicked off on Wednesday, August 14th, but the official start of ArtPrize will be next Wednesday, September 21st.) I have been to each and every ArtPrize. One of the things I've learned over the years is there is always more to art than meets the eye.

Grand Rapids prizes its burgeoning art scene, and since the advent of ArtPrize in 2009, more and more painted murals have been showing up in public spaces. Now, someone has taken the time to photograph them all and tag them on a map.

Thrillist.com has put Grand Rapids on the short list of the best cities for creatives to live in. Who are creatives? Oh, you know, artists, musicians, people with very little money and a whole lot of talent.

I'm not really sure what the whole story behind this loving video look at our city is all about. The only conclusion I can draw is that the guy who produced it has some friends in Germany he wanted to get to come over to visit.

Perhaps you used it as a landmark to figure out which entrance you came in, or maybe you and your hood rat friends hung out near it when you were teenagers. Either way, you remembered the big circular sculpture that adorned the center of the Woodland Mall. It was taken out of the Mall on Sunday, destined for an unknown location downtown.

A few weeks ago we went through the 15 things that anyone who lives in Grand Rapids should do or try at least once. Obviously, we couldn't just stop at 15 considering there's so much to do in this awesome city! So here are 15 MORE things all Grand Rapidians should do/try at least once...

Peter Moskowitz came to Grand Rapids on the DeVos family tab to give ArtPrize a whirl. Not surprisingly, he didn't like it. Isn't that SHOCKING?

We first heard about Jeffery Augustine Songco the first weekend of ArtPrize when a good portion of the 2700 pounds of plastic Mardi Gras beads he hung on a fence as part of an art installation in Calder Plaza were taken by ArtPrize spectators. He talked with Jojo recently about the incident and the conversation he wanted to tinspire with his art.

With 1,550 entries at over 160 venues, it's nearly impossible to see everything at ArtPrize Seven. We'll help you discover more of the artists and entries at ArtPrize with a closer look at venues throughout the event. Take a look inside Cathedral Square and Holiday Inn Grand Rapids Downtown at ArtPrize Seven.

Saw this really neat video on YouTube and had to share. It's a slide show of photos taken at ArtPrize in downtown Grand Rapids when it's late at night. No crowds, just peaceful art.

With 1,550 entries at over 160 venues, it's nearly impossible to see everything at ArtPrize Seven. We'll help you discover more of the artists and work at ArtPrize with a closer look at venues throughout the event. Take a look inside SiTE:LAB and GRAM at ArtPrize Seven.

Starting Wednesday, thousands of people will flood downtown Grand Rapids for ArtPrize 2015. In preparation, we've put some tips on ArtPrize Etiquette.