ArtPrize - A Spectator's Sport?

Kelsey Byker, an 18-year-old freshman at Cornerstone University was admiring a sculpture of three women entitled “friends” by the sculpture, Nnamdi Okonkwo at ArtPrize 2012 Grand Rapids. Byker and her friends decided to impersonate the statue, which drew a couple of curious by standers. The girls laughed and positioned themselves exactly as the artist had positioned the statue then they were frozen as if they had become the art itself.
 

When asked what three 18 year olds were doing at an art show instead of going to the mall, studying, or hanging out on campus with friends Byker responded with a big smile exclaiming, “We just love art and people!” After hearing that enthusiasm in her voice I wanted to know more. Was she an art major or a aspiring future Art Prize artist? When I asked her these questions she responded with a resounding, “no.”So why does this group of 18 year olds like art so much? “We love to see peoples reaction to the art they look at.” She had been doing exactly what I had been doing all day, observing people, observing the art, the chaos, and the commotion surrounding them.
 

I talked with them for a while and found out that “people watching” as they called it is almost like a sport, the rush of figuring out what the other is thinking. They especially enjoy looking at people looking at art because of the complexity of the thinking involved. They also enjoyed watching the kids interacting with the art; “Their willingness to ask questions about the art is amazing, and quite funny. Especially when their parents stare at them vacantly trying to come up with an answer they would understand.” As the excitement died down and the crowed started to dwindle the girls looked at each other and with a shared nod they said, “on to the next one.”With that they left to go find another piece of art and a new crop of prospects.    

-Megan Justice