ArtPrize announces public vote winner, jury pick

Sarah Sherman • October 8, 2012

Out of 1,517 entries and 47,000 total votes, Adonna Khare’s “Elephants” was the $200,000 grand prize winner of ArtPrize 2012’s public vote. The 8-by-36 foot triptych pencil drawing features life-size elephants and a handful of other exotic animals.

Senior art student Lydia Mulder was surprised by the win. “Lots of people can draw,” she said. What excited her was the wide variety of entries in the top ten. “I was really glad to see more out-of-the-box pieces,” she said.

This includes exhibits such as “Song of Lift,” a quarter-operated, five minute opera featuring more than 100 circling winged objects. Another favorite is “Origami,” a collection of 99 carefully folded pieces of paper whose shadows create the profiles of Grand Rapids citizens.

Chris LaPorte, the 2010 grand prize winner, was also on the short list with his piece “City Band,” a pencil drawing of his grandfather’s high school marching band.

The fifth-place piece, “Lights in the Night,” drew criticism from some students.

“It’s a beautiful spectacle, but it’s not really art,” said senior Hannah Bechtold. “There are so many things created by artists who have dedicated their lives to this. They just don’t have the publicity.”

This year also saw the introduction of juried grand prize winner, chosen by a panel of three art experts.

The winner, “Displacement (13208 Klinger St.)” took away $100,000. This collection of found objects was taken from an abandoned Detroit home. Everything from furniture to eyeglasses to tax receipts offers a history of the home and the people that lived there.

Other jury category winners took away $20,000 each in prize money. Calvin’s (106) S. Division was shortlisted for the venue award, which “SITE:LAB” eventually won.

See the full list of winners below:

2012 Top Ten

First Place: “Elephants” by Adonna Khare

Second Place: “Song of Lift” by Martijn van Wagtendok

Third Place: “Rebirth of Spring” by Frits Hoendervanger

Fourth Place: “Stick-to-it-ive-ness: Unwavering pertinacity; perseverance” by Richard Morse

Fifth Place: “Lights in the Night” by Mark Carpenter and Dan Johnson

Sixth Place: “Life in Wood” by Dan Heffron

Seventh Place: “Origami” by Kumi Yamashita

Eighth Place: “The Chase” by Artistry of Wildlife

Ninth Place: “Return to Eden” by Sandra Bryant

Tenth Place: “City Band” by Chris LaPorte