Before ArtPrize you can explore the ArtPeers Fall Festival (Sept. 9-11), a non-competitive event that was started last year to promote the work of local artists. Local businesses take part as well by becoming venues and businesses and artists collaborate to create a final piece. Sound a lot like ArtPrize? ArtPeers President Erin Wilson said ArtPeers Fall Festival has more in common with walking exhibitions like Free Radical Gallery and ACTIVESITE.

“Like Free Radical Gallery and ACTIVESITE, we have matchings in very temporary spaces, neither venues nor artists pay any fees, there are no prizes, there's no judging, and it's quite grassroots from top to bottom,” Wilson said.

Last year, ArtPeers hosted 80 artists and 30 venues in the Uptown neighborhood. Wilson remembers the enthusiasm and optimism that surrounded the event last year.

“The number of people walking about the Uptown neighborhood last year, during Fall Festival, was a beautiful sight,” he said. “It validated everything we had hoped for. The Festival was a fantastic success, all made easier this by virtue of the universally positive experience.”

At the close of the event, you can take part in Salmagundi at Wealthy Theatre. It’s a celebration of music, live performances, and choreography by Dance in the Annex (DITA). Many of the venues along the street will host receptions on Saturday and Sunday as well.

You can also catch artists inside their most intimate space, their studios, during the seventh annual Destination 1111 (Oct. 1-3). The artists whose workspaces occupy the warehouses at 1111 Godfrey, just 1.2 miles south of downtown, invite you to a three-day laid-back artfest with a grass-roots feel, complete with live music and food.

More than 100 artists invite you in to the 1111 Godfrey complex, which consists of a North building and South building that occupy more than a city block. Artists span all mediums, from sculpture and painting, to photography, fashion, and furniture.

Co-Founder and artist Michael Pavona is proud to be a part of an event so rich in experience and diversity.

“The urban/cool vibe is demonstrated in the industrial warehouse district,” he said. “Being able to experience the place where the art is made by a variety of people, hallways proud with art, a few sexy experiences on a side of town which has some of the best hills in the city, the music — it's sure to stick with people.”

Bands to perform this year include Ribbons of Song, Valentiger, WaZoBia, Tinker’s Tea, Ohaus, Alexis, Four Lincolns, Benjamin Riley, Chris Andrus and Lazy Genius. Grand Rapids Coffee, West Michigan Food Co-op and the West Michigan Fencing Academy will also be participating in the event.

Photos: Top: Destination 1111; Right: A painting from last year's ArtPeers Fall Festival (photo by UrbanPharm).

Ladislav Hanka
Entry: "Biophilic Meditation" (2-D Etching)
Venue: Grand Rapids Art Museum

Ladislav Hanka is proof that awakening yourself to your earthly purpose can be a passionate and fruitful love affair. Though his career started in biology and zoology, he redirected his course to the art world and, 30 years later, is still deeply engrained in his craft.

As an artist, Hanka, who lives in Kalamazoo and has an MFA in printmaking, has studied in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. He was apprentice to an engraver of stamps and currency in Prague, and has been involved in nearly 100 one-man shows. But Hanka credits it all as starting the day he enrolled in his first etching course.

"It was the awakening moment where I knew it was what I was supposed to do," he said. "It's who I am. We have all been born to some purpose on the face of this earth. And one day we wake up to it."

In his work, "Biophilic Meditation," Hanka explores the relationship between humans and nature.

"It's all the things that I spend my days drawing and etching," he said. "It's about all those entities and how lonely we'd be without all those things- just human beings and cockroaches. All that complexity of all that stuff and the beauty of it all."

Though he was involved in ArtPrize last year, Hanka is anticipating seeing "Biophilic Meditation" at the GRAM, and is glad for the opportunity to create something much larger than his usual, modest-in-size etchings.

"It's nice to have a venue to show off more of what I'm capable of," he said. "I've spent 30 years as a professional artist and this is one venue where I can show off what I've learned in those 30 years."

Kate Silvio
Entry: "untitled quilt... second attempt proliferated" (2-D Quilt)
Venue: Women's City Club

Artist Kate Silvio has a track record that would lead anyone to believe she's in love with steel, but her ArtPrize endeavor, "untitled quilt... second attempt proliferated," has changed her momentum.

"I had a show recently in Detroit and everyone expected me to do large-scale steel sculptures," she said. "I started to feel like it was the same thing over and over. I wanted to break out and do something different."

For her 2010 ArtPrize entry, Silvio chose to use rubber, thread, and tacks to form a quilt, representative of where we came from and where we're going — a path that tells of suffocation and strength.

"There is a little bit more chaos in the quilt now than past ones," Silvio said. "It extends more into the environment and it's not so constructed. It's an unraveling of ... us."

Silvio, who moved to Grand Rapids from Detroit about three years ago, has a BFA in sculpture from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit and a MFA in metalsmithing from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Her recent commissions include work for The Henry Ford Hospital in West Bloomfield and The Hotel Baronette in Novi.

As an ArtPrize 2009 artist, Silvio created a juxtaposition of steel and felt that focused on contradicting thought processes not only in art, but in life and relationships.

Although she took part in the contest last year, Silvio admits she had mixed feelings about being involved again.

"It's a weird circus of events," she said. "I still feel that way. But I thought, I live here, so why wouldn't I take part?"

To Silvio, ArtPrize is something to immerse yourself into, something she believes the people of Grand Rapids have done.

"People here are open to change and culture and artwork," she said. "People in Grand Rapids are willing to put a lot of time and energy into it; it says a lot about the city."

Mark Rumsey

"Baldaquin" features components that are folded as well as sewn and a pattern based on the design of sassafras leaves and trumpet flowers.

"'Baldaquin' means canopy over a sacred site, derived from Baghdad," Rumsey said. "A lot of my work plays on how people over time give words to things they consider divine. I try to make something that is approachable on many levels; people can see it as a visual and as eye candy, and if they want to engage further, they can explore the rationale behind it."

As a community-based artist and activist, Rumsey said that over the past decade his work has come alive. Most of Rumsey's projects follow the folded paper theme, and although there may not be many opportunities for him to exhibit in Grand Rapids, he sees the city's possibilities.

"Grand Rapids is a really interesting place," he said. "It's a place of potential and a place for people who want to make things happen."

Last year, Rumsey exhibited in the atrium of The B.O.B. with his paper installation, "Cloudform0909."

"I'm not holding my breath that I'm going to win," Rumsey said. "It's more about making something that is a unique experience for people to see. If it weren't about that, I would just make things to keep in my house."

Rumsey has a BFA in ceramics and philosophy from GVSU, an MFA in printmaking from Kendall College of Art and Design, and has attended Montana State University and The Ohio State University for graduate studies. In 2009, Rumsey was an Artist-in-Residence at Frans Masereel Centrum, the Flemish Center for Graphic Arts in Belgium.

Melissa Leitch

Melissa Leitch has used her creative talents as costume assistant at the Grand Rapids Ballet Company to turn her ArtPrize entry, "Interactive Ballet," into a reality.

Leitch, who currently lives in Rockford, began her love affair with textiles when she worked in her parents' fabric shop. She became a tailor's apprentice while in high school, but moved on to study life drawing and painting at Aquinas. Still, after years spent raising children and sewing costumes for their school plays, Leitch finds time for her other talents.

"Now, I'm getting into painting more and more and I love the colors and how they change," she said. "I took a landscape class and it amazed me how everyone can look and paint the same thing but each one comes out completely different."

Her ArtPrize work is a testament to more than just her sewing skills. "Interactive Ballet" is a theatre featuring clay puppets that spring to life when a crankshaft is turned. Music plays (a song recorded by Leitch's son) to lend them rhythm, giving the puppets the appearance of live dancers.

The idea for her entry came after Leitch designed jewelry for the GRAM/GRBC Calder Ballet collaboration and after she saw one of Alexander Calder's works.

"This allowed me to delve deeper," she said. "Once I saw Calder's Circus I thought that's what I would like to do for ArtPrize. I made a prototype for my daughter's boyfriend for Christmas, so I've been working on it since December."

Leitch was not involved in ArtPrize last year, but said she enjoyed exploring art around the city during the contest. Her experience and the thrill of being immersed in art last year, led her to become involved in ArtPrize 2010.

And as for her work being shown in one of the Exhibition Centers, "It really inspired me to make my piece better," she said. "If they have faith in me, I thought, I better carry through."

David Schofield & Ryan Greaves

ArtPrize collaborators David Schofield and Ryan Greaves want to know your deepest darkest secret. Not only that, they're asking you to share it with the ArtPrize world through their interactive entry titled "Confess."

The duo, both GVSU graphic design graduates, have created a large-scale white wall with only the word "Confess" upon it. The goal? There will be Sharpies available for you to write down your secret on the wall-anything you wish. Throughout the course of ArtPrize, the wall will transform from crisp white to black. But why are the collaborators confident someone would write a confession for thousands of others to see?

"With social networking on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace, people are sharing their opinions in status updates, but this is completely anonymous," Greaves said. "It will be interesting. I'm hoping we'll get dark and funny secrets."

Greaves, who works at the UICA, and Schofield, a graphic designer for Visualhero Design Co., also have a design business together called You & I Studio. Working together since before they graduated college, Schofield and Greaves had an entry in ArtPrize 2009 as well. They are anticipating the interaction that will occur with their entry this year.

"With our piece last year, we really liked the participation and letting other people contribute to what we were doing and influence the shape of it," Greaves said. "We wanted to let it go a little more, so this year we tried to find something that we could hand over to the people who see it and share it."

Schofield and Greaves also have been involved in art battles, artist markets, and other art events. But ArtPrize has a particular place at the heart of this collaboration.

"I think it's just a great thing to be a part of," Schofield said. "It was fun last year and it's why I make art. I love doing it."

Kathy Mohl
Entry: "Golden Willows" (2-D Oil Painting)
Venue: Cathedral Square

Imagine standing in front of a landscape painting and being thoroughly pulled into its elements. Suddenly you feel the breeze the artist felt when she painted it and smell the same crisp air. This is the goal of artist Kathy Mohl, whose entry, "Golden Willows," will allow you to see and feel the Bellaire, Mich. location where she created it.

"I like to do a painting that you can almost hear and it takes you to the place," Mohl said. "You get the feeling of texture; I've really pushed the elements with the paint. I could paint that scene a million different ways and I have."

The painting began as a sketch when Mohl traveled to Bellaire with a group of artists who paint on location. Most of Mohl's paintings were created this way, allowing her to capture the essence of feeling and atmosphere.

"I learn so much when I paint on location," she said. "All the answers are right there. It feeds the soul. You lose all sense of time and the experience is burned in your memory. You never forget it."

Mohl, who lives in Caledonia and obtained a BFA from Kent State University, started her career as a graphic designer. Almost a decade passed before she realized her calling was elsewhere.

"I was always a kid who could draw and I never lost my love for that," she said. "I realized graphic design wasn't my passion. I developed a love for landscapes and redirected my energy toward fine art."

Though she was involved in ArtPrize 2009, Mohl is just as excited about becoming part of the buzz and energy the contest creates this year.

"I can't say anything negative about it," she said. "It's something that would be in Chicago or Sydney, Australia and it's happening right here."

ArtPrize 2010 plans to revisit that notion. This year, an additional 451 artists, spanning 21 countries and representing 44 states, will compete for the top prize. Venues have grown in number as well, with an added 33 locations this year.

Although it's clearly grown in size, ArtPrize will not undergo major changes.

"We have very strategically made sure that we have kept the formula somewhat the same," said ArtPrize Co-Founder Bill Holsinger-Robinson. "There was a lot of learning that went into last year, and we wanted to leverage that as much as possible this year."

Due to the success of the UICA and the Old Federal Building as starting off venues last year, the ArtPrize team has deemed seven locations Exhibition Centers. These spots will serve as guaranteed locations to see more art (at least 25 artists) at one stop. Each one also has a store, voter registration, and serves as a shuttle stop.

An element that has been expanded upon is the juried awards. Last year there were only two, but Holsinger-Robinson said this year will see the addition of at least two more.

"The big public vote award it's not about validation, it's about an incentive for people to act and engage with the arts," he said. "These awards are based on artistic expression and quality. There may be more to come by the time September rolls around."

The awards will be determined by at least four judges and based on categories including best two-dimensional work, best three-dimensional work, best time-based work (performance/film/video), and an award for use of urban space.

As for the biggest ArtPrize element — voting — it will largely stay the same. If you registered last year, you will not have to re-register this year. All you need to do is reactivate your account at a voter registration site, which are located at Exhibition Centers.

"I think last year surprised people and they didn't know what to do as far as voting," Holsinger-Robinson said. "There will be more activity and more social media attention given to voting this year."

Logistics aside, ArtPrize is an event that brings together artists and non-artists alike and reminds Grand Rapids what it's capable of. Holsinger-Robinson remembers the first Sunday of the contest last year, when restaurants ran out of food.

The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (KIA) hosts On Paper: The Lincoln Center/List Art Collection now through Aug. 14. Brought to the KIA by New York City's prestigious Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, this exhibition is packed with posters, limited-edition prints, and photographs created by some of the art world's most well-known masters.

Tom Lollar, director of visual arts at the Lincoln Center and collections committee member at the KIA, commissioned all work in the exhibition, some of which goes back to 1962.

"You can pick out signs of the times by walking through," Lollar said. "It reads like a record of what has happened in Pop Art in the second half of the 20th century and into the 21st century."

The exhibition's 108 pieces come from the List Collection, which was founded by Albert and Vera List, who wanted to create a printed poster program that would serve as a gift to decorate the walls of the Lincoln Center. The collection would also be a gateway to include a younger demographic in the expensive art world, allowing them the opportunity to purchase posters at a lower cost than the limited-edition signed and numbered prints.

Much of the collection revolves around advertisements, such as Andy Warhol's Untitled (1967), an enlarged theatre ticket for the New York Film Festival at Philharmonic Hall, complete with Warhol's unmistakable Pop Art twist.

As 2009 was the Lincoln Center's 50th Anniversary, Lollar chose which pieces in the collection would represent and celebrate the Lincoln Center in the On Paper exhibition. Almost all that have not been damaged are included.

Vicki Wright, director of collections and exhibitions at the KIA, says the On Paper exhibition is demonstrative of the colorful, large-scale advertisements that were common in Europe.

"It's cutting-edge contemporary with interesting images," Wright said. "Many are abstract- they grab your eye and your attention- the color and size of them are great for the summer."

Lollar encourages anyone to see the exhibition while they can; it is highly unlikely to leave the Lincoln Center's archives again.

Photo: Louisa Chase, Untitled, 1981, screen print, List Collection, © Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts