GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- ArtPrize announced its 2016 panel of jurors that will award the $200,000 "Juried Grand Prize" and $62,500 in category awards during the eighth annual contest.
At its 2016 premiere event on Thursday, April 28, ArtPrize and Conduit Studio also revealed the design concept and poster for the eighth edition of ArtPrize.
ArtPrize, slated to occur in Grand Rapids from Sept. 21 to Oct. 9, will once again split $500,000 in cash prizes between a public vote and juried awards, a practice that began in 2014.
"Since its introduction, the parallel award structure has drawn attention to the varied ways that individuals approach, assess and engage with contemporary art by allowing us to examine side by side what captures the imagination of the voting public and what sparks the interest of the jury," said ArtPrize Director of Exhibitions Kevin Buist.
"This year's jurors will undoubtedly continue to challenge audiences to step outside of the familiar and venture beyond what is comfortable, further energizing the conversation around what art can be and why it matters."
The $200,000 Juried Grand Prize will be awarded by a panel of three jurors that includes:
• Michelle Grabner, artist and professor at School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
• Paul Ha, Director at MIT List Visual Arts Center.
• Eric Shiner, Director at The Andy Warhol Museum.
The $12,500 Category Awards will be awarded to four artists for outstanding work within their respective categories; 2-D, 3-D, time-based and installation. One award will go to a venue for outstanding curatorial presentation.
The Category Awards will be selected by:
• Tina Rivers Ryan, New York-based art historian and critic (2-D);
• Omar Lopez-Chahoud, Artistic Director and Curator of UNTITLED Art Fair, Miami Beach and San Francisco (3-D);
• Yesomi Umolu, writer and Exhibitions Curator at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago (Time-Based);
• Deana Haggag, Director of The Contemporary in Baltimore (Installation)
• Steve Dietz, Founder, President, and Artistic Director of Northern Lights.mn in Minneapolis (Outstanding Venue).
During the first weekend of the 2016 competition, the category jurors will each selecting a short list of five entries in their respective categories. The 20 finalists will then move on to the grand prize jurors' selection process.
The 2016 poster design, featuring a series of figure "8s," was "inspired by the creative tension that exists within the fabric of the event -- between art and viewer, artist and venue, public and juried vote," according to ArtPrize officials.
"Throughout the whole design process, we questioned what patterns exist within ArtPrize that could be changed," said John O'Neill, principal at Conduit Studio.
"We realized that the poster could serve as an interactive touchpoint for the event, allowing visitors to get creative and find their favorite combination of pattern and color from the over 47,000 possibilities."
Jim Harger covers business for Mlive Media Group. Email him at jharger@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter or Facebook or Google+.