ArtPrize

ArtPrize is an amazing competition in Grand Rapids where artists from all over the world take over the city for a publicly juried art exhibition.  Hundreds of thousands of votes are cast and hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money are at stake. This year's winner, Chris LaPorte, created a  painstakingly awesome pencil drawing entitled, "Cavalry, American Officers, 1921". I am in awe of this drawing and the detail is pretty much breathtaking. 

Next year I am going to make it a point to go check out this amazing competition!

Avedon

Last night a group of us went down to a party at the Detroit Institute of Arts for the Avedon Exhibit.  The evening was spent touring the galleries and listening to live music in Kresge Court. This is an exhibit that everyone must visit before it leaves town on January 17th.  I have to say, I am more drawn to Richard Avedon's early work.  I love how he put the models in everday backdrops or in enviroments of the unexpected.  His later works still have a very emotional element, but seemed to be more studio based.  The earlier work gives the viewer a lovely window into a time period that is so elegantly intriguing.  Although some of the photographs are more than 50 years old they look like they could have been taken yesterday.  I guess that goes to show that timless beauty and style is indeed everlasting. 

Kresge Court
as photographed by Jourdan Merritt.

Detroit Institute of Arts

Jourdan Merritt

Jourdan Merritt

I think the crowd in attendance was pretty good looking too!

(Thanks Jourdan for documenting!)