Three pieces of art that make up an integral part of ArtPrize 2010 are works you can't vote for.

As you explore the streets and venues during the contest, you might notice several oversized Stella Artois chalices bearing a new logo; pieces created by local artist Nathan Goddard.

The three chalices are viewable at Rosa Parks Circle, the second floor of The B.O.B., and inside The Amway Grand Plaza Hotel.

"I'm not a competitor, but I'm sharing in the fun and the celebrating of what art is," Goddard said. "To hear people respond is great, it's fresh. It makes Grand Rapids alive."

Chosen by Westside Beer to design a logo that would ultimately be a marriage of the Stella Artois glass and the ArtPrize logo, Goddard knew he would use his love of the outdoors and sustainability for the project.

His technique involves using pieces of land — in this case, Grand River bank slip mixed with a bio-base resin — to create pieces of sustainable art.

"I'm trying to make choices that are a little bit smarter," Goddard said. "I started 10 years ago traveling and camping and creating things by the campfire. You try to emulate the things around you and create the beauty around you."

Goddard said his art is the product of a small boy who loved to camp and who could be found in the backwoods, romping in mud.

"I started throwing dirt into my paint to see what happened, but now it's a part o

ArtPrize Sept. 22-Oct. 10 artprize.org nrgstudio.net

f my paint," Goddard said. "It connects you to the place that you are."

As a professional, Goddard aims to ensure his work is considered fine art, not craft.

"I think that recycled art gets labeled craft and I want to debunk that," he said. "It's been a nice challenge to do this. It's been a huge growing experience."

Part of his growing has led him to occupy a new, larger studio space in downtown Grand Rapids, called NRG Studios. Inside a warehouse building with light that pours in from the East and a vast 1,300 square feet to call his own, Goddard finally has the space needed for creating larger works.

"I can do 10-foot paintings if I want," he said. "Drawing the goblet, it took my whole body to draw that. I had a professor tell me once that I'm a gymnastic painter. I've always wanted to push the line and fill my space. I didn't always have a place to make art and now I do. I can fill my space."