It has been 15 years since the first ArtPrize took West Michigan by storm, bringing hundreds of thousands of visitors into downtown Grand Rapids for a two-week art competition where the prizes were decided by public vote. Things have changed a few times over the years, but ArtPrize 2024 shows that the main idea remains. Hundreds of pieces of unique art are currently on display in Grand Rapids, and visitors are welcome to come and see all of them and then vote on their favorites.

We had a chance to visit during the first full week, and after missing our chance to visit during it ArtPrize 2023 it was nice to see downtown full of art again. As we visited venues like DeVos Place Convention Center, the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Veterans Memorial Park, Calder Plaza, and more, we saw many paintings, sculptures, wood carvings, and other entries.

This year’s ArtPrize is divided into five main areas: Center City, Northside, Southside, Eastside, and Westside. Maps are available online and at many locations downtown. Each area is visitor friendly and walkable.

Part of the ArtPrize 2024 kickoff was a massive 35 foot puppet climbing the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel at night. While the debut of “David” wowed spectators, that is not the end of this piece at ArtPrize. You can stop by the parking lot at 45 Ottawa Avenue and control the puppet yourself!

One of our other favorite stops was the Art For Honor exhibit at Veteran’s Memorial Park. There are 27 individual pieces here, as veterans were given a great open space to display their work and tell their stories. Below are a few more pieces that we enjoyed during our visit:

ArtPrize 2024 pieces will continue to be displayed through September 28th. The top 100 entries will be announced on Friday, September 20th, though in a new change voters will be able to vote for any piece through the end of voting on September 26th. More than $390,000 will be handed out during the award ceremony on the 27th, including the public vote grand prize of $170,000.