ArtPrize calls it quits after 13 years

ArtPrize winners

Jennifer Dunahee’s ArtPrize entry “Twigg the Forest Dragon” at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. “Twigg the Forest Dragon focuses on the wonder of everyday nature, but through a unique, magical lens. A tree becomes a dragon, animals become fairies, and the sea becomes a mermaid,” Dunahee wrote in the artist vision statement. (Cory Morse | MLive.com) Cory Morse | MLive.com

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — After 13 years, the ArtPrize organization is calling it quits.

The international art competition, which launched in 2009 and has annually drawn thousands of visitors to downtown Grand Rapids, announced Thursday that its board of directors is winding down operations.

However, the ArtPrize concept doesn’t’ appear to be going away.

The organization said it was giving its creative, technological and communications platforms to a new partnership between Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., the city of Grand Rapids and Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University.

Together, the organizations said in a news release they will be creating a new experiment that will “build on the legacy” of ArtPrize.

“What started as an experiment in 2009 quickly became something more, and we have an entire community to thank for embracing the ArtPrize idea and taking it to amazing heights,” ArtPrize Founder and Chairman Rick DeVos said in a statement. “Together, we were able to stimulate thought and creativity by celebrating art, supporting artists, exploring familiar and not-so-familiar venues, and starting entirely new conversations.”

He added, “While there are certainly mixed emotions, we know the time is right to conclude the original ArtPrize experiment and open up space for new energy and creativity. We are thrilled that the partnership of DGRI, KCAD, and the City of Grand Rapids is stepping forward to continue to produce an incredible fall event.”

DeVos could not be reached for comment.

It was unclear why the board felt that now was the right time to disband.

The festival had decreased in size and scope after it was canceled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its prize money for winning artists had also dropped significantly. For example, its grand prize had once been as high as $250,000. But it had dropped to $50,000 in 2021, and was scrapped altogether this year. It also had significantly fewer entries than prior years.

Tim Kelly, president and CEO of Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., said he couldn’t speak for the ArtPrize board and was not involved in the board’s decision to end operations.

Moving forward, he said the city, DGRI and Kendall will be working to determine what the future event looks like.

“I think we’re going to want to carry forward the ArtPrize name for sure, but there may be some other amendment or addendum to that name,” Kelly said.

The intent is to keep as much of the ArtPrize experience in place as possible, he said. That includes hosting the event in the fall — it’s typically held from mid-September to early October — and striving to keep the size and scale the same.

“Our intent is to carry forward the legacy,” he said. “I think one of the things that has made ArtPrize great is the size and scale of it. We have no intent of scaling it back.”

He added, “There’s a lot of work to do before we have the program and event logistics all figured out. But that’s what we’re doing right now.”

Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington, who sat on ArtPrize’s board, was unavailable for an interview.

“The board felt it was appropriate, coming off a strong and successful event this year, to transfer ownership to a new entity that will steward it through the next ten years and beyond by embracing ArtPrize’s foundation of innovation and creativity,” he said in a statement. “Instead of an ending, this should be viewed as the next chapter in the ArtPrize story and I’m excited to see what comes next under this new era of leadership.”

Part of the new group’s jobs will be reaching out for donations to the businesses, foundations and private donors that have supported ArtPrize throughout the years, Kelly said.

“We’re certainly going to rely on the work that’s already been done and those connections that have been made,” he said. “Essentially, this will be DGRI and the city and Kendall helping step into that. There will also be full-time staff helping step into the event.”

ArtPrize has six full-time staff members, Kelly said.

“They’re all being paid through the end of the calendar year based on their current employment,” he said. “Then we’re talking about what’s next beginning Jan. 1.”

Kelly said conversations leading up to today’s announcement picked up over the past couple weeks following he conclusion of ArtPrize 2022, which ended Oct. 2.

This isn’t the first time ArtPrize has attempted to reboot itself.

In an attempt to keep ArtPrize fresh, organizers in 2018 announced the event would be hosted every other year with a smaller, scaled-back event known as Project 1 held during the off years. DeVos, when the change was announced, described it as the model that would carry the event into the next decade. However, that approach was abandoned.

Doug Small, president and CEO of Experience Grand Rapids, the county’s convention and visitors marketing agency, said ArtPrize helped put Grand Rapids on the radar as an arts and cultural destination, and that he’s hopeful the new partnership will make the event a success.

“I’m not overly surprised because I thought it was leaking oil a bit over the last few years,” he said.

Small said Experience Grand Rapids will be looking to lend a hand and make the new event a success.

“We want to make this something really great moving forward,” he said.

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