ArtPrize 2010 Ann Teliczan
"Presence" 72" x 36" Multi Media Painting by Ann Teliczan at Butterworth Hospital Main Lobby. Voting Code: 38751

I’ve had a few days to pick some favorite artists for ArtPrize 2010. And also to give you some tips about ArtPrize parking and other ideas to help you when you visit ArtPrize.

FEATURED ARTIST ANN TELICZAN/VOTING CODE 38751: Today I am featuring my ArtPrize entry. My work is located in the main lobby at Spectrum Health’s Butterworth Campus (the entrance on Michigan Street where they have valet parking.) When you walk in the door, my work is on the right, by the big fireplace. If you get a chance to see my work, make sure you view it close up from several different angles. I painted mica on it, which changes appearance when you view the painting from different angles. I hope you enjoy this, I created it with the intention of making something that cause positive mood transformations. If you want to see some of my other work, you can visit my website at www.Anntopia.com

ART PRIZE PARKING TIP: Parking is going to be a challenge during peak ArtPrize hours. But I have a solution, if you park in the Butterworth Hospital parking ramp on Michigan street, it’s a very short walk to many of the ArtPrize venues. A bonus is that you will probably have free ArtPrize parking if you try this (that’s not a promise though). Many times, the parking garage is unattended at the exit and the parking is free. The easiest route is to park in the parking ramp, start your ArtPrize tour at Butterworth Hospital’s main lobby, and then continue down the hill behind the hospital to other venues.

PUBLIC MUSEUM VENUE TIP: Make sure you see the work on the 3rd floor of the Grand Rapids Public Museum, it’s spectacular.

GRAND VALLEY ARTISTS AT ALTEN PLACE: This is another venue that has a lot of great work that is not highly publicized, I think it’s definitely worth visiting.

SKYWALKS: Don’t let the dreary weather stop you from coming downtown and enjoying ArtPrize. A lot of Grand Rapids is connected with skywalks and you can get to many of the venues by taking the skywalks.

Post and Art by Ann Teliczan

Balloon Chain by Robert Bose (with collaborator Michael Cha) at the Frederik Meijer Gardens. Voting code: 46481

I was coming home from the downtown ArtPrize celebrations tonight and got sidetracked when my friend Lisa told me that the lights above the Frederik Meijer Gardens were amazing. So of course I went there instead of going home.

“The lights” are an ArtPrize entry called “Balloon Chain” by Robert Bose. His entry is particularly striking at night and this is a don’t miss entry. While I was talking to Robert, I could hear onlookers gasping in awe and saying “Get out! Wow! Can you believe that!” Yes, it’s that cool.

Post and HDR photo by Ann Teliczan.

"Impact" by Dr. Steven Bezinque is located at the front of the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Voting Code: 46701

This is day one of ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, MI. One of the most frequent questions I’m asked when people hear I’m an artist in ArtPrize is “How do I vote in ArtPrize?” Here’s some info that I think will help.

Q: How do I register online?
A: Visit www.ArtPrize.org, create a user name and password (you’ll need an email address.) Then login to your new account and set up your profile. If you registered last year, you can continue to use that account.

Q: I registered online, can I vote now?
A: Nope, not quite yet. After you register online, you need to activate your registration by going to one of the registration

sites in person and presenting your driver’s license or another government issued ID,

Here’s the locations where you can activate your registration:

Diocese of Grand Rapids/Cathedral Square
360 Division Ave S

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
1000 East Beltline Ave NE

Grand Rapids Art Museum
101 Monroe Center

Grand Rapids Public Museum
272 Pearl St NW

Grand Valley State University Outdoor Art & Sculpture
Pew Campus, between Pearl St and Fulton St

The Urban Institute for Contemporary Art (UICA)
41 Sheldon Boulevard SE

Women’s City Club
254 East Fulton St

The Hub

155 N Division Ave

Grand Rapids Public Library
111 Library Street NE

Downtown Chamber of Commerce
111 Pearl Street NW

Q: Now that I’m registered, how do I vote?
A: Hopefully, you’ll go visit as many locations as possible and vote on your favorite artists. You can vote by going online to vote at www.ArtPrize.org and logging in, or by getting the free ArtPrize application for your smartphone. I tried out the ArtPrize application and LOVE IT. If you have a smart phone, please give this a try, you’ll be glad you did.

Q: How many times can I vote?
A: You can vote as many times as you want to but you can only vote twice for the same artist. Once during the first round of voting and then a second time if they are lucky enough to be a finalist.

Q: What’s this vote up, vote down thingy?
A: Basically a vote up means you like it, and a vote down means, yuck.

You can also find out more about voting at the ArtPrize website voting page here.

So there you have it. I hope you have a fun time, this is a truly unique, world class event.

Post by Ann Teliczan

The Hub is a place you will want to get familiar with, fast if you're in town for ArtPrize.

ArtPrize, in Grand Rapids, Michigan officially starts on Wednesday so I decided to go downtown today and see the status of things to come. After roaming around Grand Rapids, I wrapped up the day by visiting “The Hub.” This is a place you will want to know about if you are visiting ArtPrize.

The Hub is decked out with lounges for visitors to interact with each other

Rick and Melissa DeVos were at The Hub today checking out last minute details.

and the artists. It also has an artist lounge, which Rick DeVos, the founder of ArtPrize told me is going to be quite nice. In other words, if you’re an artist, you’re missing out if you don’t spend some time there.

If you want to know what everyone’s talking about, go spend some time at The Hub. It’s located at 155 N. Division in the Center of Grand Rapids (it’s also known as the old Federal Building.) Here’s more about The Hub from the official ArtPrize blog.

Check back often to learn more about my ArtPrize discoveries, I plan to do a lot of blogging about it.

Post & HDR photo by Ann Teliczan

Ed Stritch of The Concord Group purchases and donates "LifeFlow" by Ann Teliczan to Spectrum Health.

I am so very pleased to announce that my work for ArtPrize has been purchased by Ed Stritch of the Concord Group, and donated to Spectrum Health. As a result, LifeFlow will be added to the permanent art collection at the Butterworth Hospital campus. Presently, the piece is located in the main entrance of the hospital off Michigan Street.

The Concord Group has played an active role in several major West Michigan construction projects. Mr. Stritch has led key initiatives for Spectrum Health, providing construction cost estimating services and owner representation for large construction projects. His small army of architects, engineers, project managers and estimators review designs and specifications to help owners put construction costs in perspective.

Mr. Stritch purchased LifeFlow as a gift to the community and to show his appreciation for the arts in Grand Rapids. I am so happy to see this piece stay at Spectrum Health. Since its installation for ArtPrize, I have received numerous comments from Spectrum Health employees, patients and patient families saying that they had hoped it would become permanent. I developed LifeFlow with the intention of it being a healing, nurturing work. So, thank you again, I am totally delighted to see this happen, what a great way to start the new year!

One of many clay and sand images.
One of many clay and salt images.

I’ve been caught up in ArtPrize mania as both a participating artist, as well as a spectator. I sure have enjoyed this, and learned a lot. Today, I’d like to share this photo I took of a piece by Young Kim. It’s located downtown but because the venue (47 Commerce) is on a street that’s under construction, it’s a tich off the beaten path.

Young Kim’s work features a body of images (about 50) such as the one to the left of individuals he photographed in Grand Rapids. The images were then developed on site, on the warehouse floor, where they now rest. As you can see by the footprints, they are fragile.

I heard so many positive comments from fellow artists who were disappointed that he didn’t make the Top 10 for ArtPrize, that I had to check this out before it was gone. I hope you will too.

Here’s a link to his ArtPrize page, it will give you a better idea of what the installation looks like.

… and an article by the Grand Rapids Press.

Yesterday, I decided to take a trip to downtown Grand Rapids and volunteer at ArtPrize headquarters. I have to tell you that after seeing what I saw, you need to know, this is a big, big deal. If you are from anywhere near Grand Rapids, you will be sorry you missed out, if you don’t make it in to see this. Wherever you come from, if you love art, again, you will wish you made it to this event.

As an artist, I volunteered to help support ArtPrize because it helps us all, and to check out the competition. I was curious because I just didn’t know what to expect. I live about 15 minutes from downtown Grand Rapids and as I drove into town, I could literally feel the excitement. Artists were everywhere relaxing, working and checking out the sites. The work to be exhibited is inspiring and incredibly diverse. I love this because it exposes so many creative solutions and ways of thinking that it is opening my mind in a way I had never imagined.

I hope you will make it to ArtPrize, it’s a unique event that’s a little confusing until you actually come to town and see it happen.

Here’s downloadable maps from The Grand Rapids Press to the venues where art will be shown.

Map A Download Map B with Downtown Venues For those interested in seeing my entry, I will be at Venue #124 (shown on Map A), at Spectrum Health, Butterworth campus in the lobby off Michigan Street. You will need to download and print both of these maps, they need to be viewed together, viewed alone, they won’t make sense.

Me (Ann Teliczan) with ArtPrize entry, now installed at Spectrum Health, Butterworth campus' main lobby.
Ann’s ArtPrize Voting Code: vote33051 ... Me (Ann Teliczan) with my ArtPrize entry, now installed at Spectrum Health, Butterworth campus' main lobby.

I just got back from Spectrum Health, where my ArtPrize entry is now in place. They were so nice to me and pros at installing my work. I’m always a little nervous about transporting and installing a piece this large and heavy.

About my technique: The work, titled LifeFlow, is 3 panels, each being 24″ wide x 36″ high. I used a technique that I taught myself. I combine huge digital captures from a scanner, a few photos, and then redraw the images on my computer, followed by over painting the resulting work, once it’s printed, with mica in a form where it retains translucency. You can’t tell from this photo, but in person, the mica creates a luminous effect that changes when you view the work from different angles. All told, the files used to create the image are HUGE, each file I worked with is over 3 gigabytes when uncompressed. The mica I paint with is a mineral and in powder form. One more thing, I love to garden, and I picked the flowers from my gardens, lotus bog and woods.

What inspired LifeFlow: This piece was created to reflect the beauty and transformations of life. It features a lotus pod, which represents a new beginning as well as an ending. Interestingly, the lotus pod is also a natural mandala. The lily’s represent life and if you look closely in the background, you’ll see upside down buildings, and flowers that look like people. I like to create work with positive energy and that makes people feel good. We all need more of that.

Location: You can see this piece at the Spectrum Health, Butterworth Campus main lobby, it’s right by the fireplace when you walk in the main hospital entrance (where the valet parking is).

Ann’s ArtPrize Voting Codes: vote33051

Buying Work from Ann: Yes, this piece is for sale, it’s $7,500 and I also accept commissioned work. Please call me at 616-560-4570 if interested.

So, there you have it, I hope you’ll get a chance to see this, and, of course I’d appreciate your vote… first place is $250,ooo and the winner is determined by the number of votes they receive from the public. The official voting to determine the top ten finalists is from September 23 – September 30. Here’s a link to ArtPrize voting information. Please see the following post for ArtPrize voter registration sites.

From September 23 – October 7, the city of Grand Rapids will serve as a “venue” for over 1,200 artists from around the world. They will be competing for the world’s largest art prize ever, with $250,000 being awarded to the first place winner. The winners will be chosen by the public. To vote, you must register at one of the ArtPrize registration sites, voting is done online or by texting. I’ve had a lot of people ask me where they can register to vote for ArtPrize. Ask and you shall receive!

You must be 16 years or age or older and you must register at the event to vote. You can pre-register on artprize.org and save time activating your voter status at the event.

Voter registration stations will be available throughout the city from September 23-October 7. All locations have agreed to be open the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 23–Opening Night.

ArtPrize Registration Sites

ART PRIZE REGISTRATION SITE MAP LINK

Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
187 Monroe Ave
M-Su: 9a-6p, except 9/24 Th: 12-10p

ArtPrize Headquarters @ Old Federal
155 N. Division
M-Th: 5p-8p, F-Sa: noon-10p, Su: noon-6p

Frederik Meijer Garden & Sculpture Park
1000 East Beltline NE
M: 9a-5p, Tu: 9a-9p, W-Sa: 9a-5p, Su: noon-5p

Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce
111 Pearl NW
M-F: 8:30a-5p, Sa-Su: closed

Grand Rapids Art Museum
101 Monroe Center
M: closed, Tu-Th: 10a-5p, F: 10a-9p, Sa: 10a-5p, Su: noon-5p

Grand Rapids Ballet Company
341 Ellsworth SW
M-Th: 9a-7p, F: 9a-5p, Sa: 9a-1p, Su: closed

Grand Rapids Children’s Museum
11 Sheldon NE
M: closed, Tu-W: 9:30a-5p, Th: 9:30a-8p, F-Sa: 9:30a-5p, Su: noon-5p

Grand Rapids Community College
Student Community Center off Lyon St
M-Th: 8a-5p, F: 8a-6p, Sa-Su: closed

Grand Rapids Symphony
300 Ottawa NW, Suite 100
M-F: 9a-5p, Sa-Su: closed

Grand Rapids Public Museum
272 Pearl NW
M: 9a-5p, Tu: 9a-9p, W-Sa: 9a-5p, Su: noon-5p

GVSU University Bookstore
401 W. Fulton
M-Th: 8a-6p, F: 8a-5p, Sa: 8a-2p, Su: closed

JW Marriott
235 Louis NW
M-Su: 9a-6p

Main Public Library
111 Library NE
M-Th: 9a-9p, F-Sa: 9a-6p, Su: 1p-5p

UICA
41 Sheldon SE
M: 9-8p, Tu-F: 9-10p, Sa: noon-10p, Su: noon-7p