ArtPrize 2014: What's Going On Sept. 26

While tonight brings an evening for artists' receptions, there's a full day ahead and 174 venues to explore for ArtPrize 2014.

Today (Friday, Sept. 26) is the third day of the 19-day public art exhibition, which runs through Oct. 12 in Grand Rapids.

More than 36,000 votes had been cast by 7:30 a.m. today in first round public voting, according to ArtPrize's vote tabulations. The voting helps determine a $200,000 grand prize winner, with another $200,000 grand prize selected by a juried panel of art critics.

Today's Big Event(s)

First (Park) Congregational Church's roots are planted 175 years deep, and the United Church of Christ congregation also has faith in art.

There are 14 entries by 28 artists on display in the 2,535-square-foot, two-story exhibition space at the church, 10 E. Park Place NE at the corner of Fulton Street and Ransom Avenue NE. There is an artists' reception tonight from 6:15 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at the church.

The entries include MacEgan Castle, a 40-square-foot, nine-room dollhouse with medieval, Celtic and Italianate elements that includes a church and a cloistered garden and took 21 years to construct by retired high school teacher Terryl Sperlich, of Ann Arbor; the 14-foot-high interactive sculpture titled "Three Fish," by Glen Sanders, of Grove City, Pa., and Michael Jenkins, of Jackson City, Pa.; a five-piece photographic series of the Grand Island ice caves on Lake Superior near Munising in Michigan's Upper Peninsula by the father-son team of Todd and Brad Reed, of Ludington; the "Mackinac Bike Tour" quilt series by a dozen members of Middleville-based Piecefull Valley Quilters; and underwater landscape paintings titled "Caribbean Reef Sharks," by Alan Feldmesser, of Coconut Creek, Fla., and "Beneath the Waves," by Kelly Walkotten, of Hudsonville; Other artists include Christine Bodnar, Sally Duback, Randi Ford, Kim Froese, Gwen Gwenzink, Robert Penning, Jon Hunter, Hana Sawyer and John D. "Solly" Sollinger.

There are two other receptions occurring tonight:

Bill Secunda's crucifixion nail sculpture titled "The Moment, Nails Endured" is on display during ArtPrize 2014 at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Grand Rapids.(Photo courtesy Bill Secunda)

St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 134 N. Division Ave., is hosting a gathering from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for its 15-artist exhibition titled "Forward Facing/Facing Forward." The entries include notable ArtPrize regular Bill Secunda's nail sculpture titled "The Moment, Nails Endured." Other artists include Javon Borst, Rebecca Campbell, Yvette Cummings, Erica Elan Ciganek, Barry Elz, Timothy Gabriel, Douglas Gruizenga, Shawn Krueger, Kim Maguire-Gualtieri, William Mosqueda, MaryAnne Nguyen, Lisa Olsen, Jean Orians and Edward Riojas.

Calvin College's (106) Gallery & Studio, 106 S. Division Ave., for its nine-artist exhibition titled "Reflexion." The theme faithfully explores the ways in which the artists' art and processes relate to reflexion – a bending back. The artists include Kathryn Trumbull Fimreite, Kate Gesel, Jamey Grimes, Shannon Mossing, Jeff Haase and Andrea Myers, Gosia Podosek, Betsy Stirratt, Jo-Ann Van Reeuwyk and Marissa Voytenko

Today's Thing to Do

The inspirational 30-piece Eros & Agape Project mixed-media installation opens today at Avenue for the Arts Workplace, 307 S. Division Ave.The public opening reception is from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

By Erwin Erkfitz and Zachary Gruchow, both of Grand Rapids, the 8-foot high by 30-foot wide piece is the result of Erkfitz's efforts to visually share Gruchow's war and love stories written during his U.S. Army deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2005 to 2010.