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GREG SMOLKA
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ArtPrize: Over The Years

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ArtPrize is a 19 day art festival in Grand Rapids, Michigan where anyone over the age of 18 can display their art and enter a contest which shells out over $500,000 in cash prizes. There is a public vote as well as a jury (art experts) vote. Each year there are grand prize winners and a handfull of other winners.

ArtPrize was held every year, starting in September, until the unanimous decision was made to do the festival every other year. However, the COVID-19 pandemic had plans of its own by cancelling the anticipated art festival for the year 2020.

Not just Grand Rapids, Michigan locals love this art festival but so do many people in Michigan and all over the world. The Art Newspaper listed ArtPrize as one of the most-attended "big ticket" art events in the world with over 440,000 people in attendance.

I will miss ArtPrize this year as so many of you will. So, here are some of the past grand prize winners and some of my favorite art pieces over the years:
**Click on any picture to learn more about that specific art piece and artist**

Grand Prize Winners

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2018 - "The String Project" by Chelsea Nix & Mariano Cortez
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2018 - "brown, carmine, and blue." by Le'Andra LeSeur
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2017 - "A.Lincoln" by Richard Schlatter
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2017 - "The Heartside Community Meal" by Seitu Jones
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2016 - "Wounded Warrior Dogs" by James Mellick
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2016 - "The Bureau of Personal Belonging" by Stacey Kirby
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2015 - "Northwood Awakening" by Loveless PhotoFiber
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2015 - "Higher Ground" by Katie Gilmore
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2014 - "Intersections" by Anila Quayyum Agha
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2014 - "The Hair Craft Project" by Sonya Clark
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2013 - "Sleeping Bear Dune Lakeshore" by Ann Loveless
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2012 - "Elephants" by Adonna Khare
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2011 - "Crucifixion" by Mia Tavonatti
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2010 - "Cavalry, American Officers, 1921" by Chris LaPorte
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2009 - "Open Water" by Ran Ortner

My Favorites

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2017 - "Laborer" by Mike Wsol
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2018 - "The Phoenix" by Joe Butts
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2016 - "Emoh: sculpture / time capsule & tempoary home" by Loren Naji
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2017 - "SOS" by A+J Art+Design
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2015 - "In Our Element" by Ruben Ubiera
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2018 - "Michigan Effect" by Tom Gifford
To learn more about ArtPrize click here or follow them on social below:
Greg Smolka
Greg is a Grand Rapids, Michigan native with a passion for personal growth and the city of Grand Rapids. #WeAreGR

"Growth is the driving force to success & happiness" - G.S.
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