ArtPrize 2012, Top 25 Short List

ArtPrize 2012 is in full swing, and Round 1 Voting closes this Saturday, September 29th at 11:59pm. The Top 10 finalists will be announced Sunday, 1:00pm, at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids. Round 2 Voting will then commence, and close on Thursday, October 4th.



I'm very excited to be counted among the public vote's Top 25 at this stage of the competition. My own experience of ArtPrize 2012 has been wonderful so far, and the opportunity to exhibit at the GRAM alongside so many great works has been a true honor. Seeing so many viewers visit and interact with my work up close these last few weeks has touched me on so many levels. There's no greater feeling than seeing others connect with work that you've created from your soul; not to mention, how great it is seeing people and their city, as a whole, immersing and engaging in art and culture on such a grand scale. It's an amazing thing to be part of.

If you haven't already, be sure to check out GRAM's website specifically created for our ArtPrize exhibition Transformation. There, you'll find a great series of one-minute artist movies GRAM has produced, documenting it's exhibiting ArtPrize artists.

View the list of GRAM ArtPrize artists here, click on a name, and hit the "Video" button: http://www.artmuseumgr.org/uploads/assets/artprize/index.html

Also be sure to check out Sojourn included in some recent noteworthy press:

MLive // Joseph Becherer: GRAM's ArtPrize exhibition is 'transformational'

MLive // ArtPrize 2012 public Top 25 short list

Hyperallergic // Slimming Down the Short Lists: A Look at 10 ArtPrize Finalists

ArtPrize 2012

ArtPrize 2012 opens TODAY, September 19th! I am participating in it again for the first time since 2009, and am very happy to announce that  Sojourn has been selected to be displayed at the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM), as part of it's ArtPrize exhibition, Transformation.  

VOTE for Sojourn -- Code: 52168
Text 52168 to 808080 or
Visit artprize.org/andrea-kowch/2012/sojourn

For those not familiar with the competition, it is the world's largest art prize, held in Grand Rapids, Michigan USA, and is open to artists worldwide. The top award, $200,000 is decided by public vote.

Here are the official Rules via ArtPrize.org:

  

The Public Vote

Anyone over the age of 16 can register to vote. Votes are cast on artprize.org, via text message and mobile application.

• Round 1 (Sept. 19 – Sept. 29): 11 days to explore ArtPrize and vote for the entries you think should win.

• Round 2 (Sept. 30 – Oct. 4): 5 days to cast one vote for your favorite of the Top 10 entries.

The Juried Awards

New for ArtPrize 2012, is a $100,000 Juried Grand Prize, on par with the world’s major juried art competitions. ArtPrize also awards five additional $20,000 Juried Awards in the following categories: 2-D, 3-D, Urban Space, Time/Performance and Venue.

The Result

ArtPrize 2012: 162 venues will host 1517 artist entries.
Combining $360,000 awarded by Public Vote and a total of $200,000 in Juried Awards brings a new tension to ArtPrize. Will the juried awards stand apart from the public vote, or will the two cross paths to award a single artist an unprecedented $320,000?

If you plan on attending the event, please view Transformation at the GRAM, located at 101 Monroe Center, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. Sojourn is located on the 2nd Floor Balcony. 

It's a wonderful exhibition, and I had the pleasure of attending the Opening Preview Party on September 13th:

Looking forward to seeing all the other great stuff ArtPrize 2012 has to offer! Be sure to check it out if you are in Michigan!

Visit GRAM's official ArtPrize Profile to see all the other great entries that are showing there as well: artprize.org/grand-rapids-art-museum

"Metamorphosis of Mood" Solo Exhibition

 

Another show, another year; my third solo exhibition, Metamorphosis of Mood, which opened on August 25th, 2012, just wrapped. As always, I had the most fabulous time, and am grateful to everyone involved who helped make it the highlight of my year once again. My heartfelt thanks goes out to my gallery, collectors, and fans. None of it would be possible without you.

 

 

The road leading up to this year's show had its challenges, and through it I feel I have grown even more as an artist. Constantly seeking to push new boundaries with each new painting, a block I experienced earlier in the year nearly cost me my show deadline, and the weeks and final days leading up to the opening became one huge frenzied, sleepless blur. The last painting I completed was The Cape, a complex 5' x 7' ft. piece that had me painting up to the last minute--literally--I had to fly to New York the next morning. 

 

The Cape. 60" x 84". Acrylic on canvas. 2012.

 

It was crated and shipped overnight, arriving in New York within minutes of my own arrival. Once there, I completed final touches, varnished it, and up it went on the wall the morning of the opening. The pressure and adrenaline surge that carried me for so many days throughout it all is something I won't forget anytime soon. But I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. Everything turned out perfect in the end, and I owe it all to the incredible teamwork involved--my gallery for always being so supportive and doing their part, and my brother, Roman, who saved the day by constructing the crate and helping me get the work shipped on time:

 

 

 

It was a great show, my brief vacation is over, and I'm gearing up for the fall season, ArtPrize 2012, and new ideas for my next paintings. Be sure to check out photos from the show on RJD Gallery's website, and on Flickr. All new 2012 work can also be viewed here and on my website. More in-depth posts about the paintings and detail shots to follow shortly.