Artprize

Artprize is the world's largest art competition located all over the city of Grand Rapids. It was started in 2009, and now occurs annually over a three week span. People come from all over the world to compete in it or view all the different artwork. Artists compete for votes and the piece with the highest amount of votes at the end receives $200,000. Other prize values are awarded to the rest of the top ten, best in category, and Juried picks.

This past Saturday I went with my mom and grandma on an Oakland bus to Grand Rapids for Artprize. I was really excited for this trip because it was my first time going to Artprize and because I was planning to meet up with my friend, Kristin, who goes to Grand Valley. Another reason why I was excited is because I wanted to see Grand Rapids and of course, see all the artwork. The bus ride was two and a half hours and when we arrived we were dropped off at a Holiday Inn hotel. This location was right in the center of downtown and was a perfect area for walking the city. We walked into the Holiday Inn to use the restroom before exploring the city and were surprised to see some beautiful artwork from the competition displayed in the lobby. There was a butterfly that looked to be made out of origami pieces, as well as many other beautiful pieces. This furthered our excitement to what we would be seeing the rest of the day. My mom grabbed a map from the concierge and we were on our way. We walked down the street and saw magnificent artwork everywhere we looked. We saw a creative doghouse made from license plates and metal, a panda made out of tires, a dragon blowing fire, and many other pieces. Then we went to stand in line at the Grand Rapids Art Museum, or GRAM, because we were told that there was more artwork from the competition in there. Kristin met us there and toured it with us. Afterward, we ate lunch and then Kristin showed us other pieces we needed to see because she had already toured it a couple of days earlier. It was great because she knew where all the stand out pieces were and knew the Grand Rapids area so we wouldn't get lost. She showed us this beautiful old historical hotel, and inside the old hotel was this exquisite piece of art that ended up being my favorite piece. It was a griffin and is made out of pieces of bamboo hanging on strings. It is insane the amount of time and talent needed to create something like that. Then we continued to walk the streets to see as much artwork as we could in the remaining hours of our trip. When we got tired, we walked back to the Holiday Inn hotel and hung out in the lounge area of the lobby for a little while. Then we ate dinner at the restaurant in the hotel. After dinner Kristin left and my mom, my grandma, and I went back to the lobby to sit down and wait for our bus. After a little while, the bus came and took us back to Oakland. Then from Oakland we went home.

Overall, I was really glad I decided to go on this trip. This art festival/competition was so different than anything I've seen. Usually at art festivals you just walk around and look in the little shops for things to buy, but at this one, you walk around and see people's creativity all over the city. There were even pieces located in the water. I plan on going back next year and would recommend it to people who have never been before because its a great experience and very inspiring.

The Chimera

The Chimera is the largest and most popular graffiti mural in Michigan and was created by Kobie Solomon. He created this piece to inspire people and capture what the city is about. This mural was created to represent Detroit, its people, its power, and its hardships. He wanted everyone to understand the simplicity of it but then put meaning behind it for those that like to study works of art. Kobie says, "I wanted to make something that actually stood for something and I wanted to execute the piece in a way that would not just inspire, but would actually help destroy the walls and preconceptions about an art form that has helped change my life for the better in ways that I could have never hoped: graffiti."

I love seeing this mural when my family drives past it on our way downtown. I think it is really cool and creative that the artist combined all four of the mascots into one picture. This basically shows you that even though they are all separate sports teams, they all represent one city, Detroit. I think the artist succeeded in showing people that there can be beauty in graffiti. https://d2pq0u4uni88oo.cloudfront.net/projects/224599/video-129555-h264_high.mp4

Dally in the Alley

Two weeks ago, I went to a festival with my family called Dally in the Alley. I had never been to it and was excited to see what it was all about. This festival was located along the streets of Detroit starting at the North side of Cass and went on for a couple of blocks. It consisted of people selling artwork, records, jewelry, and clothing, as wells as, food stands from nearby restaurants, an outdoor bar, and four different stages. A cool thing about this festival was the music it had. All the people who performed on the different stages were all local musicians and it really felt like you were at an outdoor concert. This festival was located a block from Wayne State University, so there were a ton of college students there hanging out and listening to the music with their friends. The atmosphere at this festival was different than at other festivals because of the energy it had; it had a younger vibe to it. There was loud music playing, some people dancing, some shopping, and some eating or drinking with friends. It seemed like everyone there was having a good time. Unlike other festivals people didn’t just go there to shop, people went there to hangout, listen to music with their friends, and enjoy themselves. I had a great time at this festival and would say even if you don’t like art to just go to listen to the music and experience it, it’s free and a whole lot of fun.

http://youtu.be/nmKgJFH7MrY

http://youtu.be/4ijjyE3HAFk

The "Spirit of Detroit"

A good representation of the people of Detroit is a statue located in front of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center called, “Spirit of Detroit.” This bronze statue was created by the artist, Marshall Fredericks, and stands 26 feet tall. Benny Napoleon, a Wayne County Sheriff, says, “The Spirit of Detroit statue is a brand for our city; much broader than an image. It is Detroit.” Each part of the statue has significant meaning. The statue’s body represents man who lifts up the community. In the statue’s left hand it holds a sphere emitting rays symbolizing God and in its right hand it holds a family group symbolizing all human relationships. On a plaque in front of the statue it reads, “The artist expresses the concept that God, through the spirit of man is manifested in the family, the noblest human relationship.” The statue represents what were all about in Detroit- heart, soul, passion, and faith in our city and its people. When visiting the “Spirit of Detroit”, you may see one of the sports team’s jerseys on it if a team has made it to the playoffs. This shows the passion and support the fans have for their sports teams.

I love seeing this statue and the meaning it has behind it. It is a beautiful work of art and gives people pride to say they are from Detroit. It tells people what is important in life and that even though Detroit has had some rough times we can still move forward.

Intro and DIA

When people think of Detroit, they think of drugs, violence, trash, abandoned torn down buildings..etc. They also think of the sports teams. I am going to try to change people's negative opinions by blogging about the beauty and art in Detroit.

The first thing I'm going to talk about is the DIA(Detroit Institute of Art). Most people know that the DIA is an art museum located in Detroit. What they probably don't know is that this museum has over 100 galleries and more than 60,000 pieces of artwork. I have personally been to the DIA numerous times and love the variety of pieces it has, you can't help but get drawn to something. One of my favorite things to see in the museum is Rivera Court. This mural art was done by Diego Rivera, a famous Mexican muralist, and is thought to be the best work of his career. I love how large and captivating it is and the fact that it fits the theme of Detroit. Another piece I love is a statue that has been loaned to the DIA called Penelope. This work of art has so much detail and beauty that you can't help but just stare in amazement at the work the artist put into it. The DIA is a great place to go to see some beautiful works of art and is free to anyone who lives in the area. I would recommend that if you have never been to go check it out.