Northern Michigan Heads South to ArtPrize

Sept. 10, 2015

Ann Loveless returns to Grand Rapids ArtPrize this month, two years after she won the popular vote in the prestigious competition, taking home $200,000 for her 20-foot-long, four-panel quilted rendition of a Sleeping Bear Dunes sunset. This time, Loveless and husband Steve have made a joint submission that merges her quilting and his photography. The Loveless’ piece, “Northwood Awakening,” is a 5-by-25-foot representation of the “renewal of flora in our northern forests as it awakens from winter hibernation.”

“It gives us a feeling of renewal in our own lives as we hike the many trails in Benzie County like we have also been awoken from our hibernation,” the couple wrote. Ann and Steve Loveless exhibit their work at Live for Art Gallery in downtown Beulah.

“Winning first place in ArtPrize changed my career and life,” said Ann. “I now have to be selective in what I say ‘yes’ to.” Her quilting book “Landscape Art Quilts, Step by Step” was published early this year and she received numerous commissions after winning ArtPrize 2013.

Ann and Steve Loveless are two of many northern Michigan artists who have submitted their work to ArtPrize, which runs Sept. 23 to Oct. 11. During those 19 days, three square miles of downtown Grand Rapids will be covered with art from around the world, representing countless mediums. ArtPrize bills itself as being “unorthodox, highly disruptive and undeniably intriguing to the art world and the public alike.”

Traverse City representatives at this year’s event include Michelle Bien. Her “Beauty is Eternal: A Modern Renaissance” is a series of photographs that showcase the extraordinary transformation of the Traverse City State Hospital into the Grand Traverse Commons. Her work will be on display at Women’s City Club in Grand Rapids. Bien writes that her handmade pinhole camera is intentionally designed to create exaggerated perspective and surreal moods that highlight the mystery of this significant place and time.

“Due to my appreciation for fine architecture and its long history of evolution, I was naturally drawn to the Grand Traverse Commons and its current renovations,” said Bien. “While observing the ongoing process, I felt that the space and its evolution deserved more praise and public awareness and I wanted to express that through my art.”

More Traverse City residents at ArtPrize include Ryan Greiner, whose “Beneath the Surface” collection of abstract birch wood art will be on display at the Mayan Buzz Café. Greiner said he finds his inspiration in working with national and international aquariums. Greiner’s installation includes a sea turtle, a seahorse, a shark and a jellyfish.

Paulino Cecilio Jr.’s “Simple Expressions,” on view at the Coit Creative Arts Academy, offers mixed media on ordinary doors. Cecilio, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and graduate of Northwestern Michigan College, has painted doors in his graffiti style of expressionistic simplicity.

Meanwhile, Jerry Stutzman’s “TC-photos, Landscape photography” at Sears Architects includes breathtaking images of Horse Tail Falls in Yosemite National Park and Historic Fishtown in Leland. Stutzman retired to Traverse City three years ago, is a member of the Traverse Area Camera Club and the photographer for Brengman Brothers Winery.

Rachel Mavis offers the project “Voices,” a tribute to the teenage girls with whom she works and “to all girls and women who struggle with the lies and voices, whispering untruths into their ears.” The collection features the “lies” written on stained and torn paper, but ends with the lies covered by the truth: “You are enough.”

Donald Rau Jr.’s entry is titled “Field Trip to First Park Church” and recreates a scene his wife Dianna witnessed last year when she watched children enter the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. Rau’s 13-piece sculpture grouping depicts a teacher, a chaperone and 11 students who happen to be named after their grandchildren.

“Our goal in creating the entry is to put a smile on the face of everyone who views our work,” said Rau.

Popular northern Michigan musical acts will also grace ArtPrize. The Accidentals – Leelanau County natives Katie Larson and Savannah Buist – who just graduated from high school, offer “The Silence” at St. Cecilia Music Center, a song that came about as a way to “recall community, re-establish connection and put emphasis on how much can really be said in silence.”

One local artist taking part already has a patent for her project. Heather Caverly, owner of Sleeping Bear Gallery in Empire, invented the 3-D Colorwheel Book, which will be on display at the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum. She hopes the colorwheel will turn the traditional wheel into a fun and accessible tool to enhance learning for kids of all ages.

Here’s how the book works. When open, the 12 colors on the primary color wheel are displayed around the top surface. The leaves directly beneath show the primary colors: red, blue and yellow. The next level (wings positioned between the primaries) are the secondary colors. The top surface of the lower leaves are the tertiary colors. The primaries’ complementary colors are arranged around the bottom so that the corresponding primary and complementary colors can be seen together when viewed from the base.

Caverly sees many learning and retail uses for her colorwheel book.

“They can hang as mobiles for babies,” she said, “or be used in classrooms for children. It also makes the perfect Christmas ornament. … You could even use them as little earrings.”

Sam Porter’s Tent

Traverse City’s Sam Porter and his traveling Tent Venue will make the trip to ArtPrize, too. The Porterhouse Productions tent will host a music festival along the Grand River beginning Saturday, Oct. 3 and featuring The Avett Brothers and singer-songwriter Brett Dennen. The mobile touring tent has a 4,000-person capacity and features state-of-the-art technology. The canvas will cover local arts, food and craft beer, as well as the soundtrack for nights at ArtPrize.

ArtPrize Details

Grand Rapids’ seventh annual ArtPrize runs Sept. 23 to Oct. 11. The event features 1,500 works of art at more than 160 venues in a 3-square-mile area of downtown. Most art events and installations are free. Winners of both the public vote award and the juried award will take home $200,000. Another $100,000 is awarded to eight categoryaward winners.