GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The new-look ArtPrize 2.0, handed off to fresh leadership last October by founder Rick DeVos, is making its way through Grand Rapids government, with the city set to approve a permit that would let the festival launch fireworks during its opening ceremony.
However, before commercial-grade explosives can be set off from the Gillett Bridge, the traditional location for Grand Rapids' annual Fourth of July fireworks, and be seen by a captive audience in nearby Ah-Nab-Awen Park, the city must first designate ArtPrize 2.0 as a special event and suspend a section of the city code that regulates large-scale fireworks.
In Title IX, Chapter 173, Section 9.907 of its code, the City of Grand Rapids prohibits the use of commercial fireworks, with the exception to set times that fall either near or on certain federal holidays, including New Year's Eve and Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Independence Day.
The proposed fireworks show would take place from 10 p.m.-11 p.m. on Sept. 14— a time that falls more than two hours after the late-summer sun in Grand Rapids dips below the horizon.
On Tuesday, the Grand Rapids Committee of the Whole and City Commission will convene to vote on the committee's recommendation, which endorses the designation and subsequent fireworks display.
If approved, the title would also let the festival, now under the direction of the city, Kendall College of Art and Design, and Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., install art in public spaces and shut down a portion of Lyon St. and Monroe Center NW.
While the 18-day art competition will run from Sept. 14 through Oct. 1, the special events code would apply from Sept. 1 through Oct. 13, allowing two-weeks time for artists to set-up and take down their work.
In the committee agenda packet, various site maps are also detailed, including the ArtPrize Artisan Market. Similarly located at Ah-Nab-Awen Park, the area will feature food trucks and space for vendors to pitch tents either on the grass or the Gillett Bridge, wind-permitting.
While an ArtPrize "Oasis" will pop up south of Sixth Street Park, Rosa Parks Circle will host the closing awards ceremony, also stocked with food trucks and a designated space for alcohol.
This year's festival boasts $400,000 in prize money for artists, as well as $200,000 in grants, a sizable upgrade in comparison to purses of late for a festival that's looking for new life.
