ArtPrize in Grand Rapids to be held every other year

An art competition in Grand Rapids that draws entries from far beyond Michigan will no longer be held every year.

ArtPrize has announced that the competition is moving to a biennial schedule. In the off years, the organization says, it will commission works of art and place them around Grand Rapids. ArtPrize Artistic Director Kevin Buist says the commissions will let ArtPrize explore new territory.

"We get a chance to do a much deeper dive with those artists and develop a lot of really great programming and educational programming, and those exhibitions will run longer…"

He suggests that alternating commissions and competitive entries will expand the range of art the public sees.

"We’re able to put more resources into funding those projects up-front rather than having a competition with a large prize."

ArtPrize will hold a competition this year, and launch the first commission, which it’s calling Project One, in 2019.