Art Prize Conclusions
October 3, 2010
As a first time Art Prize visitor and Artist, my overall impression of the event is one of awe, inspiration and accolade. No where else in this country can one see so much art with so much diversity – there is something for everyone to appreciate and dialogue about. 
I agree the major downtown venues are the main attraction sites, however, as a venue, I believe it is important for them to have the ability to curate and select their entries as they are part of the art-ucation process. In my opinion, one of the important goals of Art Prize is to expose and educate the public on the arts as many people have expressed to me that they do not get much critical art education in the public system.
I would suggest a separate directory of the artists and work with descriptions not only by the artists but by the curators as well. I do not believe that many of the voters/attendees spent a great deal of time on the art prize website really learning about the works they were viewing.
The PROCESS of the artwork is just as critical as the finished piece.
My partner (who is formally art trained) and I (who am self taught) have both been self employed in the arts for over 20 years. Our experiences with both commissioned work and public art fairs have afforded us some sensitivity on how art is viewed and appreciated by the public. As an example, my partner was exhibiting his work at a juried art fair, an attendee entered his booth, viewed his 
work, an upon exit said to the artist “why bother . . .” Understand, this artist, Scott Brazeau, has an MFA from Cranbrook, a very well reputed institution.
Most Americans have a “bigger is better” mentality. I blame our media, in part, for that. Humans also have a great tendency toward drama. That being said, it was no surprise to us that the 3 criteria we observed to be the key factors with the voters were: size, complexity and message.
Art Prize hosts some brilliant talent. Some of it, I will agree, was not seen or appreciated for what it REALLY was – a process, a communication, a thought, feeling or idea. Art has many purposes and forms and ultimately is a catalog of our cultural evolution.
