ArtPrize Nine hit another big landmark Monday night as the jurors revealed their favorite entries. Take a look at their favorites which include a few surprises and some snubs too.

Being a juror at ArtPrize is no small task. You're asked to view and judge hundreds of pieces. It's a time-consuming task, but you don't have much time to do it.

The jurors always surprise us. Often in a good way as in bringing attention to a hidden gem at a small venue that might otherwise go unnoticed, but not all of the surprises are good ones.

ArtPrize Nine's category award jurors are Miranda Lash, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville (2-D); Rachel Adams, Senior Curator of Exhibitions for the University at Buffalo Art Galleries, (3-D); Scott Stulen, Director and President of Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa (Time-Based); Anila Quayyum Agha, Artist, Associate Professor of Drawing at Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, and $300,000 Public Vote and Juried Award winner at ArtPrize 2014 for her work "Intersections" (Installation); and Larry Ossei-Mensah, New York-based independent curator and cultural critic, Co-Founder of ARTNOIR (Outstanding Venue).

Two-Dimensional

The biggest surprise here, and it's a welcome one, has got to be the diversity of the venues represented in the category. You can expect The Ruse Escape Rooms and Veterans Memorial Park to see an influx of visitors after being named to the Jurors' Shortlist. GRCC Collins Art Gallery and Cultural Collective @ Rumsey Street might see the bigger crowds they deserve too. DeVos Place is a regular in the second round each year.

Three-Dimensional

  • Recovery of Icarus” by Rolf Jacobsen at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park (Grand Rapids, MI)
  • Frontiers” by Benjamin Jones at the city water building by the richard app gallery (Belchertown, MA)
  • Flint” by Ti-Rock Moore at Fountain Street Church (New Orleans, LA)
  • Bloodline” by Holly Wilson at Monroe Community Church (Mustang, OK)
  • Laborer” by Mike Wsol at Grand Rapids Public Museum (Lilburn, GA)

There are five different venues named in three-dimensional category. One of the entries has a real shot at winning the Grand Prize and gaining attention from the Public Vote. "Flint" by Ti-Rock Moore at Fountain Street Church is a powerful piece. Add it to your list of must-see entries.

Installation

Anila Quayyum Agha was the 2014 Grand Prize winner of both the Public Vote and the Juried Award. Her winning entry "Intersections" was displayed at GRAM. This year she has awarded GRAM their only two juried nominations with "ENMESH" and "Bushcraft... Radical Stimulus."

You'll also find an ArtPrize regular among the five Installation finalists. Jeffrey Augustine Songco is back at ArtPrize for the fifth time. He is probably best known for his 2015 entry "Revelry" which displayed thousands of Mardi Gras beads on Calder Plaza before they were taken. Songco was at UICA for ArtPrize 2016 and returns with his strongest work yet at the city water building by the richard app gallery.

Time-Based

  • Go-Rilla Means War” by Crystal Z Campbell at Rumsey Street (Oklahoma City, OK)
  • Red Dirt Rug Monument” by Rena Detrixhe at Western Michigan University - Grand Rapids (Tulsa, OK)
  • The Heartside Community Meal” by Seitu Jones at Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (UICA) (St. Paul, MN)
  • Remission” by Paul Kaiser and John Charter at the city water building by the richard app gallery (West and North Hollywood, CA)
  • Searching” by Le'Andra LeSeur at The Fed Galleries @ KCAD, Kendall College of Art and Design (Jersey City, NJ)

You'll find a couple of ArtPrize Nine's strongest pieces in this category. “Red Dirt Rug Monument” by Rena Detrixhe and “Remission” by Paul Kaiser and John Charter are both candidates to become Grand Prize winners. "Remission" is world class filmmaking. It features stunning cinematography and it may be the best short film ever seen at ArtPrize. I found the visuals so distracting that I was missing the story. It took three watches for me to absorb the five-minute art film. It's also a treat to have the costumes used in the film available to see in person.

Outstanding Venue

Western Michigan University has brought great work to ArtPrize before and they've done it again. Somehow they get overlooked at times, but it's good to see them get some well-deserved recognition here.

Unfortunately, you'll also find the biggest snub of the Jurors' Shortlist in this category. The city water building by the richard app gallery is one of this year's premiere venues. It's a bit north of town, but you'll be glad you took the time to see it.

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