ArtPrize

I sorta kinda feel like the Iowa Insurance Commissioner (i.e. everything he says is 95% right).  He was explaining the Affordable Care Act--Oftentimes his answers were prefaced with a disclaimer, like the ones he used several times, "This gets very confusing" and "It depends on your specific circumstance, but in general...." 

My sisters treated me like our Mom, Anna, when we were in MI.  I felt like a king.  My big sister, Myrt, (i.e. in age and not in size) bought oatmeal for me for breakfast and also gave me some frozen MI blueberries that she picked (i.e. she doesn't just share them with just anyone).  BUT the size of bowl was a little overwhelming and the size of coffee cup as well.  Myrt and Doris went way over the top.  Maybe their niceness was just the "Lake Effect"!  You think sooooo!  Na, they are just nice folks (i.e. good hearted gals). 

I think ya gotta have a certain mind!  Friends emailed me this--Anyway we're crossing the street in McGregor and here comes a hearse. We gingerly respectfully walk in front of him. The driver has his window down. He's close enough to say "how are you guys doing". We just say a polite "good" and kinda keep on walking. He snaps his fingers and says "shucks, I'm empty."  Later we decided we didn't think it was funeral home hearse but man did we laugh.  I think you have to have a certain mind to want to drive a hearse for a leisure vehicle.  What do you think?

We went to ArtPrize downtown Grand Rapids, MI while there.  It a hugemassive art show with artist from around the world with the winner taking home $200,000 (i.e. no small change).  The public votes to determine the winner of the 1,500 entries. There are many many different "points of view" expressed in all the different forms of art!  I can't understand much of it and sometimes wonder if I understand any of it.  BUT I didn't do sooooo well in the Art Appreciation class 101 at good old Northwestern College either.  My opinion, you have to have a certain kind of mind for art (i.e. or a huge ego) to appreciate  many forms of art (i.e. or drink a lot of beer).  Many of the artiest dress different and act different--not all but some.  I think they can get by with being abnormal if they are an artist.  You think sooooooo!  But they say if you sit on a bench and look at a work of art for hours you understand it and appreciate it!!!!  For some but not for this guy.  I have limits folks.  ~  Art critic Jerry Saltz loves ArtPrize.  The senior critic for New York magazine overflows with enthusiasm for the urban exhibition and $560,000 competition.  "I love ArtPrize. I'm all about ArtPrize," said Saltz, who was a juror last year for ArtPrize's inaugural Juried Grand Prize.  When it comes to the actual art, Saltz, who said he sees more than 20 shows a week, tempers that enthusiasm. "Ninety-five percent of what I see is crap," (i.e. I think he's wrong here). "It shouldn't be surprising that most of us don't like 95 percent of what we see."  Well, that's not very nice to say Mr. Salz!  I don't think he knows any more that I do.  He is just faking it and I don't like fakers like DuaneTheWorm.  That is what I think!  I think judging art is like judging a beauty pageant.  It's a crap shoot.  It all depends who the judges are and what they are looking for (i.e. that is my opinion).  My opinion to win the $200,000 a person better find out who is doing the voting (i.e. men or women, young and old, liberal or conservative, what geographic region you are in).  Then do some art to fit that criteria.  Then get your art work in the best traffic location.  Now that sounds like business and not art!  It isn't what you like but what the voters like sweetheart!  It's much like jury selection.  I think this could be trended.  Maybe I should start a business to help these artists.  GeorgeTheCrook says--Artists usually aren't very good business people (i.e. they have different mind sets).  Such is life.

Art is not as easy to compare as buying Obama Care health insurance.  Early reports are that for an average person, not eligible for subside, will pay about double of their current rate.  Those who are edible for a subside will pay maybe a fourth of the normal rate.  It will be easy to figure out who will like Obama Care and who won't.  No guessing there folks.  That is black and white.  Blue Cross/Blue Shield, our insurance carrier, decided not to participate.  I wonder why?  I can only guess!  Usually, business decisions are based on money folks.  Money is the judge!

Change of plans!  My pick for #1 is Uplifting by Andy Sacksteder.  I talked to Andy and he told me he worked on it for 6 months with many days working from 6 to 11.  He said he was a landscaper but had an injury.  He went to Mayo Clinic and the doctors told him that it was a career ending injury.  As he was walking out of the Mayo Building, he saw a sculpture of a jumping dolphin.  He decided he was going to be a artist.  Huh, interesting.  Sooooo will you sell your piece of work to me?  Of course.  How much.  $75,000.  Our friend Jano says--You make plans and then life begins! 

I liked this one tooooo.  It is a top 10 as well.  It is the funniest (i.e. at least to me it was).  The line goes into Grand River over the walk way.  It just made me smile.  Sometimes we just make things to complicated for an average guy to understand (i.e. this piece isn't).  The art was scattered all over the city sooo folks would travel around (i.e. we didn't).  This ArtPrize loooooks to me to be a hugemassive money maker for the city (i.e. millions of millions of folks come and spend money).  ANYWAY some of the art was in a building called the BOB.  It's stands for Big Old Building!  Now that makes sense to me!  I can understand that.

There was 446,850 votes to select the public juried winner--and the winner is:   Sleeping Bear Dune Lakeshore by Ann Loveless.  My pick got third and was awarded a $50,000 prize.  Here are all of them if you are interested.  http://www.woodtv.com/artprize/winners-of-artprize-2013

I felt that the "starvin artists" are unique people (i.e. my opinion).  They seem to have a passion, an agenda, a feeling, an expression, something inside themselves.  They express these things through their art.  They show happiness, bitterness, death, satin worship, sadness, misery, excitement, discouragement, confusion, joy, sorrow, history, illness, feelings that are penned up, humor, fun, craziness, etc.  And God only knows what else.  It's way beyond my comprehension. 

Here is a oil painted piece expressing an artist's feelings and believe.  My sister and brother-in-law spoke to the artist and he told them that the atheists have really been hard on him.  Didn't think it's art and should not be part of ArtPrize.  It really discouraged him.  We saw a lot of dark art tooooo.  Saw some raw nudity tooooo.  I wonder if anyone complains about that (i.e. I bet there was complaints).  What's art to one is offensive to another.  It's art folks. 

Art opinions are about as diverse as opinions in politics (i.e. different points of view").  I saw this in the gift shop of the Gerald Ford Museum.  It sorta kinda made me smile.  Such is life in America. 

Different "points of view" about God tooooo!  Do you believe in God.  I read somewhere that it says--Even demons believe in God.  It's hard for me not to believe that everyone somehow someway don't believe in a Higher Power.  Even if folks don't worship or express it, I wonder if they still believe.  DuaneTheWorm says--I am God!  Then there are those who claim to be atheists.  And then there are theists--monotheists, polytheists, pantheists, and deists.  Where do you fit.  We went to an inner city church downtown Grand Rapids after visiting ArtPrize.  The pastor there is a friend of our extended family, Bruce Kuiper.   http://www.gracelegacybuilders.org/Home.aspx  He works with men mainly.  He tries to encourage them to be leaders in their families, churches and communities.  If I understood him correctly he said--the church numbers are decreasing 'cause the younger men are leaving the church.  A change in our culture I thought he said.  I asked him for some statistics--First, the Swiss study, published in 2000 showed that “it is the religious practice of the father of the family that, above all, determines the future church attendance of the children.” Check out this amazing statistics:

Mother and Father attend church regularly:

33% of their children will end up attending church regularly

25% of their children will end up not attending at all

Mother attends church regularly. Father does not attend church at all:

2% of their children will end up attending church regularly

60% of their children will end up not attending at all

Father attends church regularly. Mother does not attend church at all:

44% of their children will end up attending church regularly

34% of their children will end up not attending at all

Saturday question--Are you a "Monday morning atheist"? Do you attend Sunday worship services, feeling inspired, but when the next day arrived, you report for your job and for the most part act as if God does not exist.

Is writing considered art?  It's not dancing or singing or painting or designing or speaking but it's a way of expression.  Sooooo if it is, that is why folks write about stuff; to express their views and expressions.  And that is why many times others aren't interested in what others write (i.e. Mr.Saltz says--95% is crap) .  I realize that maybe there are times you think I have my head up in the clouds like these guys.  Ya, but maybe that's better to have you think that instead of thinking I have my head up...! Everyone has a different "point of view!"  Such is life.

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans.  (-:

 

erv a.k.a. B.O.E

 

MyFriendJean says--Visionaries are people who see beyond their abilities.