Here is a collection of photographs of the top ten entries in the 2010 ArtPrize Competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Out of 1,713 entries, these are the ten that were selected by a vote of the public. The voting on these ten entries concludes Wednesday, October 5 at 11:59 p.m.

A brief video of photos I took as Jeff Zimmerman completed his ArtPrize entry for 2010.

<p>Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.</p>

ArtPrize, a one-of-a-kind art competition that started in Grand Rapids in 2009, is back again, bigger and better.  Over 1700 artists will display their work at over 190 venues in and around Grand Rapids from September 22 to October 10.  Over $450,000 in prizes will be awarded by a vote of the people, including a grand prize of $250,000.  It is not about the money, though.  Only 10 will finish in the money.  It is about art engaging the community.  It is an extraordinary event, the brainchild of Rick DeVos. It is generously supported by the Dick & Betsy DeVos Foundation.

Here are some of my photos of ArtPrize 2010.  Keep coming back.  This portfolio will grow over the next three weeks.

My photos are posted here on Flickr.  You can also view photos from ArtPrize 2009 by clicking here.

The official ArtPrize site is www.artprize.org.

One of the ArtPrize 2010 entries that I am eagerly anticipating is Luke Jerram's "Play Me I'm Yours."  I have blogged about this exhibit before (click here).  Jerram places pianos around a city. Each piano is labeled, "Play Me I'm Yours."  He has done this in London, Sidney, Sao Paulo, New York City, among others and now he's bringing his pianos to Grand Rapids 

The results elsewhere have been fantastic fun!  Here's just one example.

The ArtPrize organization says "Art = Community."  "Art is the focus of the competition, but the main event is community." Well, "Play Me I'm Yours" will give the community a chance to engage art and each other.  I can't wait.

Traverse City-based artist, Eric Daigh, who took place in ArtPrize 2009, was featured on CBS's Sunday Morning. Here is the story:

This evening it was announced that Brooklyn Artist Ran Ortner was the winner of ArtPrize 2009 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ortner won for his painting "Open Water number 24." Ortner's piece was selected in a vote by the public in a competition that featured 1,262 artists. Here is a slideshow showing each of the top 10 finalists.

Brian Kelly is a wonderful photographer in Grand Rapids.  He and his team have been producing a bunch of short videos introducing people to artists and venues of ArtPrize.  One of the coolest experiences at ArtPrize is to visit the ACTIVESITE artspace.  Here is Brian's video:

ArtPrize 2009 moves to phase two of the voting today. This afternoon they will announce the top 10 vote getters. From now to the end of the competition, the voting will be between those 10. (All 10 receive a cash award.) Over 32,000 people have registered to vote, casting over 320,000 votes in the first round.

One of the entries in the top 25 is salt & earth (2009), by Young Kim of Greensboro, North Carolina. Kim projects random pictures of people taken on the streets of Grand Rapids onto small piles of sand and clay. The result is incredible.

Rob Bliss definitely had the ArtPrize project with the greatest audience participation. Twenty thousand people lined the streets of downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Sunday and hummed the melody to Sigur Rós' "Olsen Olsen" while Bliss and his crewed launched 100,000 paper airplanes from the tops of buildings.