Juror's Shortlist And 3 ArtPrize Installations To Check Out

Throughout ArtPrize, we will have an ArtPrize award-winning artist on the show to talk about cool art installations to check out around town. Jeffrey Songco has had several different ArtPrize installations throughout the years. This year, Jeffrey won't have an installation because he won the Installation Category Juried Award last year.

Today, Jeffrey talked about some installations to check out, the juried shortlist, some of the best venues to visit, and how to talk sound smart when you are talking about the art.

Three venues are the big winners this year: Site:Lab, Frederik Meijer Gardens, and DeVos Place Convention Center walked away with the most shortlisted artists.

Jeffrey has two fantastic phrases that you can use while you are out and about at ArtPrize. So, when you are checking out an installation and just don't know what to say about it, turn to the person next to you and say "The formal qualities in this piece are really beautiful." or if you want to put the onus on them, just ask "What do you think?"

Here are the installations that Jeffrey recommends you see this weekend:

Silent Chorus - This installation is a group of human female bodies made of plaster. It came about from the artist’s conversations with women who were victims of human trafficking. It is by Eva Rocha and located at the Fountain Street Church. The piece was Shortlisted and is currently in the Top 25 Installations.
Mastermind America - Jeffrey thinks that this could be the big winner of ArtPrize 2018 and after checking it out, we think he may be right. Mastermind America Giant is a black and white oil painting with a lot going on, a lot of symbols and familiar things: there’s a giant American flag, a bust of Abraham Lincoln, a bicycle, a violin. And then everything is covered with string, not actual string but it is painted in a way that makes it look like string is on top of everything, representing that everything is connected. The piece was done by Alexi Torres and is located at DeVos Place Convention Center. It is Shortlisted and currently in the Top 25 for 2-D pieces.
Napportunity - Want to participate in an ArtPrize event, raise money for charity and get a nice outdoor nap on a giant beanbag chair? Well, we have your "Napportunity" right here! The event is today, Thursday Sept 27 from 4 to 6 PM at Rosa Parks Circle. “Passers-by will be given a sleep mask and encouraged to plop down for a quick nap, all while being entertained by Silent J, the world’s quietest DJ.” For every person that decides to nap, Big Joe will be donating $10 to ACT (Artists Creating Together —empowers individuals with disabilities to learn, grow, and celebrate through the arts).