art prize

The weekend success of both the Browns and Indians have nearly persuaded me to be an open theist. It’s hard to believe an omniscient God would let that happen. Unless he is setting us up for a fall. But that is getting harder to do, after 50 years of losing. We won’t let ourselves believe until Brian Hoyer is taking a knee in the final minute of the Super Bowl. Hopefully with the football firmly in both hands.

My parents came up for the weekend, so we went downtown to art prize. Grand Rapids felt, for lack of a better word, European. Street musicians and actors made for a festive atmosphere, and I was really proud of my city. Here are a couple observations:

1. Best art prize game:  Walk up to a crowd looking at a work of art, turn to your friend and say, “Wow, I see it now!”, then turn and walk away. This works especially well with abstract pieces or glass prisms that scatter the light in various directions.

2. Second best art prize game:  We didn’t try this one, but it would be an interesting challenge to stand beside a piece and pretend to be the artist, fielding questions from the passers by and attempting to explain what you were going for in the piece. Sort of like an artistic version of improv. This is probably unethical, so we didn’t do it. Secure the permission of the artist first.

3. The brooding artist is a real thing. Perhaps it was just the area we were in, but it seemed that every third piece expressed some sad opinion about the world. Maybe artists are passionate people who feel injustice deep in their bones, or maybe many of them are unemployed. Maybe both, but many of their pieces are depressing. True story:  how do you turn a Chevy Surburban on a bridge into a work of art? Flatten the tires.

4. Saturday afternoon is not the best time to see the art, as there are just too many people waiting to get into the Ford museum and the Art Museum. But it’s probably the best time to feel the joy of this special celebration. And parking is surprisingly easy, and cheap.