Murals and the grand winner: What to do during ArtPrize’s final weekend

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — As Grand Rapids bids farewell to ArtPrize in its final weekend, visitors can enjoy a few pieces that will stick around a lot longer than the competition itself.

At least eight murals have transformed buildings around the city this ArtPrize. One of those, called “Just Keep Swimming,” weaves along the River Edge Trail near the Grand River. Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. commissioned mural artist George Eberhardt III to lend his vision to the space.

“(DGRI) wanted to kind of make that area somewhat of a destination spot for people who walk the Riverwalk and so (they) reached out to me to paint something interesting in the space that is a reflection of the wildlife in that area,” Eberhardt said.

On a blue background, which Eberhardt says represents water, bright red fish, plants and water-inspired details pop. It matches two red, rounded benches DGRI added to the area. Eberhardt said he purposely tried to create movement in a place where people walk up and down the riverfront.

“I wanted to make sure that the mural felt like you were standing in the middle of it, so I painted the fish kind of moving in one direction so that the viewer stands in one area and you can kind of rotate and look and see the full piece kind of like a waterfall or a river,” he explained.

This is not Eberhardt’s first ArtPrize. He has mural installations all around Grand Rapids, including on the other side of the river at Ah-Nab-Awen Park, around Division Avenue and on Leonard Street.

If you stick around the Grand River, there is a lot of art to see. A short walk to the north, viewers can get lost in the sights and sounds of owls at “ Anthropocene mixtape series, a sonic exploration of lost abundance: Owl edition .” A few blocks south, visitors can climb into a sculpture called Stargate at Sixth Street Park.

At Lookout Park, about a half mile east of the river, viewers can meditate upon “ Reflective Journey ,” a piece that from one angle looks like seven closed doors, but from another appears as seven mirrors reflecting the nature around it.

If art enjoyers keep their tour moving east, they can find a large selection of pieces, including a few more murals that are here to stay. “ Night Moves ” displays a cool-toned scene on the side of Spike & Mike’s Party Store. “ Biochemistry ” brings color to the side of Brewery Vivant, also displaying a colorful night scene.

At one of the easternmost locations of ArtPrize, visitors can enjoy a colorful landscape mural called “ A Postcard of Eastown ” on the side of the McKendrick building. Artist Devin DuMond grew up in Eastown and drew experience from personal ties.

“It’s got little buildings that are representative of what I kind of identified as some of the more iconic buildings in the neighborhood, and then there’s kind of a secondary scene with different types of people walking around the streets of Eastown with the brick roads and those vintage buildings behind them as well,” DuMond described.

The piece not only celebrates the Eastown neighborhood and community but will also now be a part of it. DuMond hopes people interact while walking around town.

“I really wanted it to be super colorful, super bold. I wanted it to just ignite joy in the viewers. Even when I was working on it, it was so exciting, people would come up to it and take their selfies or pictures with their babies and their dogs and I love that interaction with art,” DuMond said.

DuMond kept visitors in mind when laying out the mural, making it photo shoot friendly.

“Things are kind of strategically placed in the center area, with the rainbow stripes. The buildings are really low, so those would be right at the viewers’ height and behind them. The text is positioned so that even if there’s cars parked in that parking lot, you will still be able to see that big ‘Eastown,’ you can still take your picture with it. It’s all kind of designed for that viewer experience,” DuMond said.

Last weekend, ArtPrize announced its top 100 vote-getters at its HalfTime Show. Voting ends at 10 p.m. Thursday.

On Friday, the winners of the competition will be announced at ArtPrize’s Closing Ceremony at Kendall College of Art and Design. That lasts from 6:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. and will feature food trucks, cash bar and a circus performance.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.