ARTPRIZE GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN---WHAT IS ART?

I have been privileged to be able to go to exhibits by artists like VanGogh, Picasso, and others, but I love Art Prize in Grand Rapids.  There have been criticisms from the art community about some of the exhibits at the events.  There is also criticisms that the people vote for who will be given the prize money and not art critics.

To me, ArtPrize gives people the best attributes of what art is, of course this is coming from a person trained in science not art.  ArtPrize is fun, interactive, memory provoking, engaging, thought generating, awe inspiring, conversation starting, and joyful. 

I wasn't able to attend last year so I was happy to see that the quality of the first shows is still evident.  This year show brought back very happy memories of when Tom and I explored the first and second ArtPrize.  This post about ArtPrize is a remembrance of my little family that is no more.

 This a little Black Locust tree is in downtown GR.  It is suffering from its location.  Black Locust are not considered by most as lovely, but my cottage use to be surrounded by them.  I think they are beautiful especially in the Spring when they are in bloom.  Tom liked to lie on the ground under a tree and take pictures.  This one is for him and, no, I was not lying on the sidewalk when I took it.

 Tom liked Gnomes and the woods so he would have like this art exhibit.

Then there is me. Like these three woman titled "Friends", I know of the fact that a cute, cuddly, little muffin top protruding over my jeans becomes a truck tire hanging over my waistband overnight. This fact does not fit the scientific theory that calories plus exercise determines weight. Like these "Friends" I keep challenging this crazy phenomena.

Little one ear up, one ear down Izzy is represented by this lamb in a gorgeous mosaic on the outside of the GR Museum.  So glad, Izzy, that you are still with me.   



.  If this Wolf's fur were pure black, it could be a picture of my beautiful Katrinka, a pure black German Shepherd, who has gone to heaven.  Izzy and I are very familiar with that toothy mouth.  Katrinka would get mad at Izzy, especially when Izzy would shake a toy octopus in her face, out would come this nose-rolled back, all teeth showing mouth which Izzy thought was an invitation for a special French-style kiss where the whole head goes in the mouth and not just a tongue.  It is amazing that Izzy still has her head. 

My friends who went to ArtPrize all had a different favorite horse in this stick horse exhibit.  My favorite horse is the one struggling to get to its feet at the very end of the herd.  My friends, in a conversation starting opinion, thought the down horse represented Izzy and I trying to climb out of grief and despair to run again in the water of life.  I just liked that horse---LOL.