Ogden Dunes fiber artist Marie Englehart has had a piece of her artwork juried into this year’s ArtPrize Competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan. ArtPrize, in its 5th year, is an international art competition. This year’s event will be held September 18 through October 6, 2013. Work that is accepted is installed at different venues, both inside and outside, all over downtown Grand Rapids.
ArtPrize is unusual both for the large size of the top prize as well as for the method of judging entries. Every year, ArtPrize distributes $560,000 in total cash prizes—$360,000 awarded by public vote and $200,000 awarded by jury—making the competition the world’s largest ArtPrize. Spectators vote to decide who takes home the top prize, while experts award additional prizes by jury.
Englehart, who teaches art at Brummitt Elementary School in Chesterton was notified that her piece entitled “Gravy Stains” will be installed at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum located at 303 Pearl St. NW in downtown Grand Rapids. Her work is comprised of over 350 multi-colored neckties.
“A tie collection, that was started over 55 years ago by my mother, was my inspiration for Gravy Stains,” says Englehart. “In the 1950's, Mom started saving ties that she found in their rental apartments after tenants moved out. Years later, Mom showed me her collection. The intermingled colors and textures were inspiring. Mom passed her collection to me that day. The "tie project" was put on the back burner for years but collecting recycled ties never stopped. Once the design process started, Gravy Stains was created in stages as the search for color-correct ties continued. I used over 350 ties from my inventory that were selected to create the ombre color pallet and tactile design. I feel this is more than recycled/found object art. It is a tribute to a slice of fashion history and also a collaborative piece with the artists who designed the ties.”
To view Englehart’s work, learn how to cast a vote in her favor, and view the works of other contestants visit the ArtPrize website at http://www.artprize.org/.