It’s September!! The best month of the year!! The month that has me excited enough to use at least two exclamation points at the end of every sentence!!
September is not just my birthday month, it is also the onset of Fall. Michiganders rejoice because our forests begin turning into a natural art gallery full of the loveliest colors you’ve ever seen. And also, cider and donuts. Not to mention the pumpkin. Never mind it was 92 degrees today. Labor Day is over and now it’s time to get excited for Fall and Thanksgiving and Christmas and hey- Happy New Year, everyone!
Another reason I love September so much is because my favorite Michigan event is right around the corner. ArtPrize!! It is a huge art contest that covers the streets of Grand Rapids. We’re not talking a measly sculpture here or there if you happen to be paying attention. We’re talking over 1,200 pieces of art from artists all over the world. It is an art lovers dream come true!
Here is just a taste of something one might see in GR during ArtPrize. You’ll just be walking around viewing the art that is quite lovely, when BAM you see something that takes your breath away. Something like this stunning piece by Bruce Mackley.
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| This is titled Turning Away, but I bet you can’t. |
Mackley used over 9,000 screws to make her and isn’t she gorgeous? That was his first piece of work from what I understand (I know!) and then he created Descent, which I love even more (and not just because it’s a redhead.) (Just kidding. It’s definitely because she’s a redhead.) The screws on both pieces are drilled in at different depths creating a gorgeous effect and awesome texture. In fact, he encourages art-goes, and visually disabled art-goers especially, to touch his work and create a mental image.
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| She looks dainty, but this piece actually weighs in at 350 lbs! |
If you can go to ArtPrize, go! If you can’t, I will surely be posting some of the artwork I find and will report back. I promise to keep my exclamation points to a minimum!!