Purple Heart veteran wins top award at ArtPrize 2024

The people have spoken.

A Purple Heart veteran won the top award at ArtPrize 2024, collecting a $125,000 check for his depiction of a Lake Michigan sunset.

Dynamic Sunset , located at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, was painted on brass by John Katerberg.

"This creation has taken a year of my life, plenty of sweat, and even a little blood," Katerberg said as part of his artist's statement.

ArtPrize, John Katerberg

An "experimental combination" of oil and acrylic paint allowed Katerberg to portray the Grand Haven pier scene on a metal canvas that originally began as a 104-pound sheet of brass and welded steel.

"I had no idea that repairing damaged military vehicles was preparing me to create my greatest works," added Katerberg in his statement.

The Operation Desert Storm and Afghanistan veteran had entered ArtPrize fourteen different times. Katerberg says he "earned it" with Dynamic Sunset.

"This is surreal," he said. "I just want to thank God, who saw me through two wars and helped me overcome so many battles and overcome so many things."

In addition to the public grand prize, ArtPrize announced the winners of multiple grants and awards on Friday as part of its closing ceremony. More than 93,000 people voted in the citywide art festival.

The Winners

Public Grand Prize ($125,000)

• John Katerberg (Dynamic Sunset)

Juried Grand Prize ($50,000)

• Trauma Project (Trauma Project)

Public Awards ($10,000)

• 2D : Robert VanderZee (The Prophets)
• 3D: Bruce Gorsline (Tut's Tomb)
• Time-Based: Endlesswill (My Poem Your Topic)
• Installation: Shirin Abedinirad (Reflective Journal)
• New Media: Bruce Holwerda (Too Much Information)
• Design+: Zak Doezema-Nunez (Ash Desk with Drawers)

Juried Awards ($10,000)

• 2D : Jonathan Harris (Remember Who You Are)
• 3D: H. Highwater (Old Stories)
• Time-Based: Endlesswill (My Poem Your Topic)
• Installation: Samuelle Green (marshmallow polypore variant)
• New Media: Stafford Smith (Me So Calgon)
• +Design: Common Object Studio (Understory)

Juried Visibility Awards ($15,000)

• Pat ApPaul (Sovereign Church)
• Ruth Crowe (The Journal Project)
• Isabel Dowell (What Does It Mean To Be Queer?)
• Keyon Lovett (456: A Reflection on Fatherhood)
• Chris Pappan (Fragments of Anima 1 & 2 (diptych))

Artist to Artist Award ($10,000)

• Andrés Bustamante (Palabras De Esperanza. Words of Hope)

Venue Award ($5,000)

• ArtRat Gallery
• En Vivo Church

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