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Rapidian on the street: Port of Entry

This dispatch was added by one of our Nonprofit Neighbors. It does not represent the editorial voice of The Rapidian or Community Media Center.

The Rapidian brought GRTV with them downtown to get responses from viewers on "Port of Entry," a work by Muñoz & Company at the Calder Plaza.
Underwriting support from:

/Courtesy of GRTV

Jarritos- Mexican soda in various fruit flavors- are stacked 12 feet high and illuminated with lights that change colors at night, guarding the entry to Calder Plaza. The work, "Port of Entry" by Muñoz & Company, is colorful, playful and attracts viewers from across the plaza. But is there more to the work than just the fun colors?

"The multicolor facet of the Port represents the diversity of the migrant worker population that has long been a major source of Grand Rapids’ growth. The Port’s illumination symbolizes the community’s strength through unity," says the artist statement on the ArtPrize website. "The “Port of Entry” theme is a tribute to Michigan’s migrant workers."

With these varying levels of interpretation of the work in mind, we stopped down to Calder Plaza to ask visitors what they thought of the piece- and whether or not they would vote for it.

 

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