ArtPrize returns after pandemic cancellation

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WILX) – ArtPrize, one of the biggest art festivals in Michigan, is returning to Grand Rapids this week. The event was canceled last year because of the pandemic.

It started today. So, for the next 18 days, you will be able to see art displayed all over the city in a variety of mediums, from murals to art installations.

The new element of this year is the presence of QR codes, which visitors are asked to keep an eye out for throughout the city. When you scan one of the more than 140 QR codes, your smartphone will open up the ArtPrize game and find various prizes you can award to artists of your choice.

Festival organizers recently announced $200,000 in total grants to 47 artists around the world.

“With the return of ArtPrize, we were excited to bring back a new suite of grant programs where $200,000 is being awarded directly to artists,” organizers wrote in a release. “Curatorial, Equity, Project, and Mural Grants, each target a specific realm of artwork for visitors to experience and invoke conversation about the work.”

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