GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — If you love something, don't let it go to another city.
For more than a decade, ArtPrize has drawn up a permanent residency in Grand Rapids, with former entries turning into long-term landmarks, including Raining Wisdom, the 2023 Public Vote Grand Prize Winner.
"This is a one-of-a-kind piece," Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. (DGRI) Retail, Retention and Attraction Specialist Richard App said. "The longer this contest goes on, the more cool art goes in this city."
When entering ArtPrize, African-born artist Abdoulaye Conde received approval from the Grand Rapids Art Advisory Committee to paint the mural on Ottawa Avenue NW. The city then prepped the space by hiring a professional to paint and prime the wall.
"We are a city that is 'Get To Yes,'" App said.
In addition to the two-story entry and other murals— including Evolve and Look About You!— App says local buyers have already purchased "40 to 50" 2D paintings from ArtPrize 2023, securing for the city a more colorful future.
"There are two types of collectors for art," App said. "People that can afford it and people that can't afford not to have it."
A former ArtPrize entrant himself, App played a part in Nessie on the Grand— a Styrofoam sculpture of the Loch Ness Monster that won $7,000 and sixth place during the festival's inaugural year in 2009.
After the competition, the installation swam around John Ball Park for years before weather damage forced it to be recycled.
"It's important for us to continue the evolution of art coming into our city and to foster that kind of creativity," App said.
Now part of the festival's new leadership team, App wants creatives to see ArtPrize as a place where they can sell their work, all while entries like Raining Wisdom continue to stock and ever-expanding, open-air art gallery.
"When they see murals out on the street," App said about people walking downtown. "It makes them feel safer, a little more connected to our city."
