ArtPrize 2023 features Stamps alums
Are you making a stop at ArtPrize this year? Art is exhibited in galleries, storefronts, parks, museums, and public spaces throughout Grand Rapids for eighteen days. The event awards over $400,000 directly to artists through popular and juried voting.
Here are some alumni participating in this year’s ArtPrize, which began on September 14 and will run until October 1, 2023.
Amanda Coleman (BFA ‘04)
2D • Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
Amanda Coleman (BFA ‘04) is an established artist based in Kalamazoo. Her work has been exhibited in Seattle and Yakima, as well as in Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, and Kalamazoo. Coleman’s current work, including “Alstromeria,” examines the modern female portrait by juxtaposing images of women with flowers, “a subject historically associated with feminine art.”
“The work exudes emotion, potential, and growth – reclaiming floral study and female portraiture on its own terms,” says Coleman in an artist statement.
View Coleman’s voting link here.
Katie Hammond (BFA ‘04)
Collaboration • 2D • Brush Studio
Painter and studio owner Katie Hammond (BFA ‘04) is teaming up with biologist and mosaic artist Aaron Liepman with their display, “Pixels of Life.” This mosaic was rendered using 10,000 LEGO bricks, highlighting a “playful approach and unconventional materials embraced by the artist team.” The impressive 7 ft piece will be on view at Brush Studio.
Katie Hammond is the owner and manager of Ann Arbor Artist Studios, a communal art studio, and her work has been exhibited nationally.
View Hammond and Liepman’s voting link here.
J Brett Grill (BFA ‘01)
3D • Grand Valley State University — Seidman Center
J Brett Grill (BFA ‘01) is a sculptor of memorials, monuments, and portraits. His bronze statue representing Mathias Alten, an American painter and Grand Rapids native, will be on view at Grand Valley State University.
“Statues uniquely allow histories and heroes of the past to inhibit our own space. These shared stories are part of what binds a community together,” says Grill in an artist statement.
Fun fact: you can spot Grill’s sculpture of Penny Stamps in the Art & Architecture building on the second floor next to the Stamps Dean’s Office.
View Grill’s voting link here.
Laura Cavanagh (BFA ‘11)
2D • The Winchester
Laura Cavanagh (BFA ‘11) is a Michigan artist living in metro Detroit. She maintains an active studio art practice. Cavanagh’s piece, “Pink and Purple and Golden Years,” on display at The Winchester, is a prime example of her ethereal pastel drawing style.
She describes her piece as a “soft pastel drawing of an interior scene in shades of pink and red with intense lighting.”
View Cavanagh’s voting link here.
Natalia Rocafuerte (MFA ‘22)
Installation • ArtPrize ClubHouse
Natalia Rocafuerte (MFA ‘22) is a recent MFA graduate and esteemed video artist. Rocafuerte has been involved in the community through installations, films, and prints. She served as the Festival Director of the Independent Film Festival Ypsilanti.
Rocafuerte’s “DREAM MACHINE ARCHIVE” installation will allow audience members to experiment with deep listening exercises.
View Rocafuerte’s voting link here.
Parisa Ghaderi (MFA ‘14)
Time-based • ArtPrize ClubHouse
Parisa Ghaderi (MFA ‘14) is showcasing her piece, “For Dancing in the Streets,” at the ArtPrize Clubhouse. The piece was previously displayed at the Stamps Gallery, where Ghaderi received the 2023 Envision: Michigan Artist Initiative Award. She is a visual artist, curator, educator, and filmmaker.
In her exhibit, Ghaderi explores the female body and how it has long been a contested site of struggle around the world, specifically among Iranian women.
View Ghaderi’s voting link here.
Rose Ellis (BFA ‘87)
2D • Oh, Hello Paper & Gifts
Rose Ellis (BFA ‘87) brings still life “that’s anything but still” to Oh, Hello Paper & Gifts. Ellis is a fine artist whose work is exhibited nationally. Her piece, “Tail Wind,” is one example of her series of “origami fantasies” with original animal characters.
“The first time I folded an origami creature in my studio, I realized the potential of the stories I could tell. Some authors know what their stories are going to be before they begin writing – I find that my stories fall into place as they unfold,” says Ellis in an artist statement.
View Ellis’ voting link here.