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Sweeping up after Artprize: Joe Mangrum sand art de-installation

Submitted 10-11-2010 under OPINION

 As an Artprize venue that housed nine artists, the Goodspeed Lofts (Cherry and Grandville) in downtown Grand Rapids has been our home for the last three weeks. We made a lot of new friends there, shot a ton of video of great art and music, and...

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What was not in the top 10: Video art

Submitted 10-11-2010 under OPINION

I was sorry to see that the ArtPrize top ten did not include a single example of photography, film, or video art. I was not surprised to see the continued preference for conventional “art” materials and processes by the majority of ArtPrize voters...

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Why I Didn't Vote for Cavalry

Submitted 10-11-2010 under OPINION

I suppose it is no surprise that Cavalry won. The only thing we midwesterners love more than work is a righteous affirmation of work. I have a lot of respect for the skill and scale of the drawing. Without question, the draftsmanship is stunning....

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Say nice things about Detroit

Submitted 10-05-2010 under OPINION

The philosopher William James once wrote that it is important to ask not what reality is, but “under what circumstances do we think things are real?” That question came to mind when viewing Ludington artist Ryan Spencer Reed’s photographic suite “...

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Top five quick and easy ways to improve ArtPrize

Submitted 10-05-2010 under OPINION

5: Reduce the girth: Literally, think outside of the box, replace the 3 mile square with an organic model that is formed by the availability of resources. Maintain the Downtown as a central hub and organize second tier hubs of dense activity. Expand...

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Funding hyperlocal news - your input invited

Submitted 10-04-2010 under OPINION

There is no question that things are really hopping at the Rapidian. Monthly visitor numbers are up a whopping 78% compared to 3 months ago. Now nearly 15,000 visits are being made each month to check out what's happening. Hundreds are signed...

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Not just an eyeful - ArtPrize finalists that actually encourage meditation

Submitted 10-04-2010 under OPINION

"To see or not to see. That's the question."— Karl Gude, Michigan State University, via Twitter In the midst of all the hubbub and hurly burly of ArtPrize, it's easy to lose the art. The social experiment part of the event seems like a success, but...

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You've Got to See This! How We Look at Art

Submitted 10-04-2010 under OPINION

So what does it look like when we talk about art? If it’s just personal, the conversation dwindles into a three- or four-syllable declaration. That’s a pretty thin answer to 1,713 artists who have labored at their own expense to create, dismantle,...

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Michael Vlatkovich Trio in Grand Rapids

Submitted 10-04-2010 under OPINION

Jazz trombonist, composer and arranger, Michael Vlatkovich brought his 3 piece band to Grand Rapids on Saturday, October 2 for an intimate concert hosted by Hugo Claudin of Mexicains Sans Frontieres. The band was also in Michigan for the...

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Hey?!?! Did anyone else notice the elephant on the top of that building?

Submitted 10-03-2010 under OPINION

Social commentary on art has been taken to a new level during ArtPrize, literally. The top of the new Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts building was being used to make statements designed to further the dialog about art, though it seems that not...

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