Super Bowl Victory? Maybe for Detroit and Michigan art!

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Detail: Wayne County Building--Detroit MI

Detail: Wayne County Building–Detroit MI, photo by pinehurst19475.

Yesterday was a busy day for Michigan in Pictures as a lot of folks came by to learn more about the works of art featured in the Chrysler/Eminem “Imported from Detroit” Super Bowl ad. The Joe Louis Memorial, a shiny clean Spirit of Detroit, the murals of Diego Riviera (which Slate found ironic) and the stunning Fox Theatre have all been touched on here, but there was another sculpture,

At first I thought it was a second work by Marshall Fredericks, sculptor of the Spirit of Detroit and many more iconic works scattered about Michigan. I couldn’t find it under his name, so I widened the net and found Victory, the very first photo that the informative pinehurst19475 ever uploaded to Flickr. The photo was taken in June 2000, and he or she wrote (with my links):

This sculpture is a the base of the tower of the Wayne County Building (formerly the Wayne County Courthouse}, built from 1897-1903 and restored in the late 1980s. This quadriga, entitled “Progress,” is one of two at the building (the other is “Victory”). The sculptor was John Massey Rhind. The Wayne County Building is considered a fine example of Beaux Arts Classicism. To see the quadriga (four-horse chariot) and figures of this sculpture in all their glory, go to the large size version of this photo.

Learn a whole lot about Detroit in Anthony Lockhart’s slideshow.

2010 ArtPrize Winners!

Posted on by farlane

ART PRIZE 2010 WINNER

The winners of ArtPrize 2010 were announced last night in Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids resident Chris LaPorte took top honors and $250,000 for his work Cavalry, American Officers, 1921, a phenomenally detailed work in pencil. Svelata by Mia Tavonatti and Lure/Wave, Grand Rapids (Lure/Forest) by Beili Liu rounded out the top 3.

Art Prize Awards 2010-2956

Cavalry, American Officers, 1921 (detail)

 artprize5593top10 by wizardkitten
Svelata by Mia Tavonatti


Lure/Wave, Grand Rapids (Lure/Forest) by Beili Liu

Check out WOOD-TV’s interview with the winner.

Photo Credits:

Red Thread is in the ArtPrize Top Ten…

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Red Thread

Red Thread, photo by stevedontsurf.

The Top 10 entries for ArtPrize have been announced! Click that link to see them all on Absolute Michigan and also to check out interviews with the finalists. Voting ends next Thursday and you can still head to ArtPrize in Grand Rapids to see the finalists and 1700+ more works of art!

Here’s the lowdown on Red Thread by Beili Liu (one of my personal favorites):

The ancient Chinese legend of the red thread tells that when children are born, invisible red threads connect them to the ones whom they are fated to be with. Over the years of their lives they come closer and eventually find each other, overcoming the distance between, and cultural and social divides.

Inspired by this legend, the installation makes use of thousands of hand spiraled coils of red thread suspended from the ceiling of the gallery. A disk may be connected to another, as a “couple”, and each pair is made from a single thread. Every coil is pierced in the center by a sewing needle, which enables the suspension of the disks from the ceiling.

Check this photo out background bigtacular and in Steven’s ArtPrize 9/26/10 slideshow.

Tons more ArtPrize on Absolute Michigan!

ArtPrize 2010 Flickr Contest

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Prizing the art

Prizing the art, photo by tinney.

ArtPrize is holding a photo contest for photos added to the ArtPrize Flickr group. Click that link for the details and submit your photos to any or all of the following categories for a chance to win prizes!

  • installed art
  • public reactions/interaction with art
  • venues
  • artists
  • events (any ArtPrize related event)
  • voting (all forms)

Check Dustin’s photo out bigger and check out the ArtPrize 2010 slideshow on Flickr.

Much more ArtPrize on Absolute Michigan!

Would the Loch Ness Monster be considered an invasive species?

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

The Loch Ness Monster

The Loch Ness Monster, photo by Eridony.

Because the Emerald Ash Borer isn’t very photogenic, we’re taking a break from Invasive Species Week to bring you a reminder of another kind of invasion that’s about to descend on Michigan: the fabulous Grand Rapids ArtPrize! 2009 brought all kinds of incredible sights to the city, including the Nessie Project. See a bunch of them in our ArtPrize Video from 2009.

ArtPrize starts next Wednesday (September 22) and continues through October 10th. We will once again be On Location with Absolute Michigan, and we encourage you to attend and to share your photos from ArtPrize in the Absolute Michigan pool and also to the ArtPrize Promotion Group for anyone who wants to share their photos & video of ArtPrize installations and the accompanying hoopla with bloggers and online media outlets.

Be sure to check this out monstrously massive and see it and many more in Brandon’s ArtPrize slideshow!

Grand Rapids gets ready for ArtPrize 2010

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Face Paint
Face Paint, photo by TerryJohnston.

Last year ArtPrize in Grand Rapids launched and was the most successful art event in Michigan’s history, attracting 200,000 visitors to see the work of over 1000 artists in every media from fine art to paper airplanes. In 2009, Absolute Michigan was on location for ArtPrize and I have to say that it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life to see this city transformed into a giant gallery teeming with active, engaged crowds of people looking this way and that, trying to take in a mind-boggling amount of art.

In 2010 the format will be the same, with artists submitting a single entry at venues all over the city, all vying for the votes of those who attend and the $250,000 1st place prize. Absolute Michigan will be back to cover the event, and I sincerely hope you can make the time to go to Grand Rapids and experience ArtPrize.

Terry took this photo of 2010 ArtPrize artist Jeff Zimmermann at the Kendall College of Art & Design. More in his Jeff Zimmerman slideshow and also stay tuned to Terry’s art prize 2010 slideshow for many more photos as ArtPrize gets rolling!

PS: Be sure to stay tuned to ArtPrize in the Absolute Michigan pool and add photos if you take them. Here’s the ArtPrize 2009 video we did last year from some of the pics we received!

The Art of Michigan Wine

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

-55

-55, photo by Emery Co Photo.

In the month of August, Absolute Michigan is featuring everything about Michigan’s booming wine industry.

Today there’s a feature on the Traverse City Wine & Art Festival that clues you into this great event and also offers you some chances to win tickets!

Stay tuned to absolutemichigan.com/Wine for much more information!

Jesamin has a great slideshow of photos from the inaugural Traverse City Wine & Art Festival and we also encourage you to add YOUR Michigan wine photos to the Absolute Michigan pool!

Bop (till you drop) with Bop (harvey)

Posted on by farlane

bop (harvey
bop (harvey), photo courtesy Bop (harvey) Fan Club

Today’s post comes to you under the heading of “What good is your own blog if you can’t feature your favorite band from college when they play a reunion show?”

Bop (Harvey) returns to the East Lansing Art Festival for a 4:45 – 6 PM show today on the main stage. Michigan’s premiere worldbeat band, Bop (harvey), reunites for East Lansing fest on Absolute Michigan quotes longtime Tonight Show & Bruce Springsteen E‐Street Band drummer Max Weinberg:

“Bop (harvey) was the first American band that I had heard successfully integrate American pop, R&B and funk with island and African grooves and form. I flew out to Seattle and was blown away by the power coming off of the stage.” In no time the band was in the studio finishing up “Gitchee Gumee To Me”, their 1992 studio release.

And then the president called. Or to be more accurate, the Clinton campaign team, who were seeking an act to fire up crowds attending various Midwest rallies. The band ended up playing a string of Clinton events, including an election day airport rally, concluding with substantial face‐time with the candidate, who returned the favor by inviting the band to play not one by two events during his inaugural festivities.

Nobody ever said the music industry was kind or predictable, however, and within a few years, Bop decided to hang up their goofy hats and dance groove. Last winter, they played a pair of shows at Rick’s and have launched a mini-tour this summer that takes them to East Lansing, the Kalamazoo Island Fest and maybe one more location.

Welcome to Detroit, Mr. Banksy.

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Welcome to Detroit, Mr. Banksy.

Welcome to Detroit, Mr. Banksy., photo by b.plus.

I guess that even the world’s most famous graffiti artist needs a vacation every now and then. mLive reports that:

Famed British graffiti artist Banksy has left his mark on Detroit, tagging a crumbling wall near the dormant Packard Plant with an image of a young man and the line, “I remember when all this was trees.”

A photo of the mural recently popped up on Banksy’s official Web site, and at least two local photographers have snapped their own shots verifying the location.

Popular photoblogger Detroit Funk dropped by the Packard site last night (link) and noted that workers from the local 555 Nonprofit Gallery and Studios were attempting to preserve the piece.  Check out his photos here.

Travis Wright of the Metro Times reports Banksy didn’t end his work at the Packard Plant; he also created murals on two buildings along VanDyke. There’s no word on whether he added his mark to the new Mexicantown bridge.

Apparently, he’s hit numerous locations in North America. One might guess that it has to do with his new film Exit Through the Gift Shop. Here’s the Banksy web site.

Check it out bigger in Brian’s a work in progress slideshow.

Shark Attack Triple X: The Michigan Shark Experiment

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Shark Attack Triple X, photo by jnhkrawczyk.

Via the Herald-News in Roscommon:

…3 lakes in northern Michigan have been selected to host “an in-depth study into the breeding and habits of several species of fresh-water sharks.” Two thousand sharks are to be released into the lakes including blue sharks, hammerheads, and a few great whites.

The experiment is designed to determine whether the sharks can survive in the cold climate of Michigan, and apparently the federal government is spending $1.3 million to determine this. A representative from the National Biological Foundation is quoted as saying that there will probably be a noticeable decline in the populations of other fish in the lake because “the sharks will eat about 20 pounds of fish each per day, more as they get older.”

County officials have protested the experiment, afraid of the hazard it will pose to fishermen and swimmers, but their complaints have been ignored by the federal government. Furthermore, fishermen have been forbidden from catching the sharks. The report concludes by again quoting the National Biological Foundation representative, who says that “We can’t be responsible for people if they are attacked. Besides, anyone foolish enough to believe all this deserves to be eaten.”

Jill took this at The Heidelberg Project in Detroit. See it bigger in her Found Art slideshow.

PS: This was a spoof that the Roscommon News thought was real.

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon