Judged by a select group of insiders, art awards aren't known for
their democratic approach. Uprooting that tradition is a contest
that's currently being held in Grand Rapids, Michigan. ArtPrize will
award the world's largest prize—USD 250,000—to the piece of art that
receives the most votes from visitors. Aiming to "reboot the
conversation between artists and audiences on a grand scale" the
competition allows any artist to enter, any visitor to vote and any
venue in Grand Rapids to exhibit. By uploading their portfolios on the
ArtPrize website and connecting with venues, 1,262 artists have
secured exhibition space at 159 sites across the city, including
galleries, office lobbies and outdoor public spaces.
Voting is divided into two separate stages. During the first week,
each visitor can give an "up-vote" to every piece they like, and a
"down-vote" for every entry that doesn't take their fancy. (Only
up-votes will decide the winner; down-votes are used to help highlight
the most controversial works, or decide in case of a tie.) In the
second week, the top ten pieces are voted on—one person, one vote. To
be eligible to vote, all visitors must register in person with ID.
They can then vote online, or via mobile devices as they browse
through the galleries. The winner will be announced on October 8.
ArtPrize is the brainchild of entrepreneur Rick DeVos, son of local
businessman and politician Dick DeVos, who is sponsoring the
competition through his family's charitable foundation. It's breaking
ground not only by letting the crowd be the judge, but also in
allowing any artist to enter and any space to exhibit. For two weeks,
the city of Grand Rapids is one big art gallery, and a smart example
of how to put crowd clout to work.
Website: www.artprize.org
Contact: info@artprize.org
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- Tan Yinglan
The Way of the VC: Having Top Venture Capitalists on Your Board (On Amazon)
http://tinyurl.com/wayofthevc
