I'm An ARTPRIZE Artist!

Those of you who follow me on Facebook are familiar with this photo.  It portrays the anxiety of getting a venue in which to exhibit "The Lake" in ArtPrize*.  I had announced my entry in this post.  But entering and getting to be an exhibitor are two different things.  It was a scramble of 2,249 registered artists vying for exhibition space in 226 registered venues.

I had mailed a packet of written information with photos to fifteen of my first choice venues.  Two weeks later I sent emails that included updated material and pictures to those venues plus fifteen more.  One venue very much wanted "The Lake" to be part of their exhibition.  However, after a trip to Grand Rapids to view the space, I determined that this large scale installation piece would not show well in any spot where there was space to hang it.  Declining that invitation was nerve wracking.  What if no other venue responded to my work?

I received a couple of emails expressing interest in my entry.  However, all but one indicated that they would get back to me later after they had curated their exhibitions from ALL the entries.  So when this email arrived I got excited:

Your work is very unique, and with a subject matter that resonates with many of us.  We do hope to include your entry in our venue.  I'll be in touch when things are solidified.

I had to make another trip into Grand Rapids to get a repaired sewing machine (that's another post yet to be written).  While there, I took two panels from "The Lake" plus the study to show the art director for that venue.  He liked what he saw.  I liked the exhibition space.

Woo Hoo!  "The Lake" will be in the DeVos Place Convention Center.

It's located at 303 Monroe Avenue in downtown Grand Rapids.  This is the lobby entrance.

Art by 54 artists will be exhibited here.  "The Lake" will hang in the Skywalk Gallery.

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After the final audit of artists and venues that secured each other for ArtPrize 2010, the results are…

• 1,713 artists
• 192 venues

Artists from 21 different countries will exhibit, including the United States. 44 different states in the U.S. will be represented.

*ArtPrize is an open art competition, giving away the world's largest art prize. Part arts festival, part social experiment - this international art contest is decided solely on a public vote.  So if you're in the vicinity of Grand Rapids, Michigan from September 22nd to October 10th come join the fun!