Grand Rapids ArtPrize: We have a winner!

ArtPrize 09-Open Water no.24 by deviant_anomaly

ART PRIZE 2009-0032 by RichardD72 AND THE WINNER IS… by rkramer62 DETAIL FROM WINNERS CANVAS by bitsorf

The first-ever ArtPrize in Grand Rapids has ended with Open Water no. 24, a 6′ x 19′ oil painting by Ran Ortner being chosen as the winner by public vote from 1,262 artists who exhibited at 157 venues across the city. A former pro motorcycle racer, Ortner will receive a quarter of a million dollars for his finish. The Freep reports:

Ortner said he was stunned by his win. “Wow. Exhilarating, captivating, ridiculous. Can’t get my head around it.”

It means a lot to him that those choosing his work were not professional art critics but people who were moved by his work. “There’s been a heart connection here,” he said.

And it has been good for those who voted, Ortner said. “All of a sudden, those who know nothing about art have an opinion that matters,” he said. “It really has a life larger than anything anybody anticipated.”

ArtPrize 2009 Winners

1. Ran Ortner – Open Water no. 24
2. Tracy Van Duinen – Imagine That!
3. Eric Daigh – Portraits
4. David Lubbers – The Grand Dance
5. Bill Secunda – Moose
6. Nessie Project – Nessie on the Grand
7. John Douglas Powers – Field of Reeds
8. Sarah Grant – The Furniture City Sets the Table for the World of Art
9. Jason Hackenwerth – Ecstasy of The Scarlet Empress
10. Michael Westra – winddancer 2

You can get some more links to coverage at Who won ArtPrize? on the ArtPrize blog and stay tuned to absolutemichigan.com/ArtPrize for news about ArtPrize 2010!

Check out this video below for some scenes from the Winners Celebration – the close of this dance number is really impressive!

More videos can be found at ArtPrize 2009 Absolute Michigan.

Snapshots of the Grand Rapids ArtPrize

Here’s a video produced by Absolute Michigan featuring audio from Brad Aspey of Interlochen Public Radio along with photographs from the Absolute Michigan pool and the Creative Commons. The music is Octopussy by Juanitos. There’s so much more to see – definitely go to Grand Rapids if at all possible and learn all about ArtPrize Grand Rapids.

photos M. Burrows StacyN – MichiganMoments yodraws powerbooktrance KenyonJM sethrt pentax hammer (gary syrba) pairadocs Rudy Malmquist RichardD72 ramjetgr docksidepress Heightened Senses [Dennis] lilmisshothead pablohart wsilver JohnE777 rkramer62 SashaW numstead stevendepolo dedav

artists Kurt Perschke Eric Daigh Rob Bliss

Official Video: Rob Bliss 2009 ArtPrize Paper Airplane Event

Fantastic video by Creo Productions! Thanks docksidepress for the pointer!

On Location: ArtPrize in Grand Rapids

Our next On Location feature will be the inaugural ArtPrize in Grand Rapids. ArtPrize is open to any artist and the votes of all visitors will determine who wins the largest art prize in the world: $250,000! With venues all over the city and an amazing range of artists participating, ArtPrize is sure to be an amazing experience to everyone who attends.

If you’re taking photos at ArtPrize, please share them in the Absolute Michigan pool, the official ArtPrize Grand Rapids group and also in the Grand Rapids ArtPrize Promotion group. Our banner photos are:

• Art Prize entry – Telos by Ray Katz by the pentax hammer (gary syrba)
• artprize by powerbooktrance
• free dots by yodraws