Here & Now: Event Updates for ArtPrize at Cathedral Square

After nearly a week of ArtPrize festivities, we have compiled various photos and links to events and guest experiences during ArtPrize at Cathedral Square thus far:

*Promotion for two of our time-based entries*

Voices of the City:

Crowds of people filled the Cathedral of Saint Andrew to overflowing on Sept. 28 for Voices of the City, a 300 + member interfaith choir performance. This ArtPrize entry in the time-based category was organized by Dennis Rybicki, director of liturgical music for the Diocese of Grand Rapids, and hosted by ArtPrize at Cathedral Square.

If you missed the live performance, we invite you to watch the video on our website. If you like what you hear, we encourage you to vote! Please also share this page on social media with your friends and family using #VoicesoftheCity.

Here is a link with a video recep of the choir event: Voices of the City Choir Event

The Voices of the City ArtPrize Vote Code is 56635.

When the Days Become a Moment:

Angela Yetzke, choreographer and assistant professor of dance at Hope College * Rob Kenagy, poet, musician and visiting assistant professor of English at Hope College * Jamie Kreindler, choreographer and Hope College Dance alum * Student performers of Hope College

Performance Times and Location: Saturday, September 27 and Saturday, October 4, 11am and 3:30pm Piazza Secchia of Cathedral Square (outside the Cathedral of St. Andrew), 301 Sheldon SE "When the Days Become a Moment, When the Body Becomes Adrift" is a time-based weaving of dance, poetry and live music conceived and performed by twenty-four student and faculty artists from Hope College. This original work explores time, memory, and human connection while responding to the landscape and texture of Cathedral Square. A shifting stage invites the viewer to experience the performance from different vantage points. "If time was a line and not a circle / like our bodies. / Or a kick drum like your heart / shimmering in the riffle."

Catch their next performance Saturday, October 4, 11am and 3:30pm, at the Secchia Piazza.

All Saints Academy, GR:

All Saints Academy of Grand Rapids toured the gallery during a morning visit.

Aquinas College:

Steve Schousen, Art Professor at Aquinas College (AQ), brought students down for a tour of our 40 artists, including a handful from AQ!

------------------------------------------------------------

Enjoy more by "liking" our Facebook page!

One Artist, Five Questions: Dennis Rybicki

Engage with new and returning artists before visiting the Cathedral Square venue to see their amazing array of work. Learn about the artists’ personal stories and creative ambitions through five enticing art-related questions.

This week: Dennis Rybicki

Dennis Rybicki, Voices of the City, 2014, time-based interfaith choir concert

Dennis Rybicki is the Grand Rapids Diocesan director of liturgical music, Aquinas College Alum, and 2014 ArtPrize artist coordinating "Voices of the City". This ArtPrize entry is a time-based, interfaith, 300+ member, live choir performance event which will take place September 28, 3:00pm, in the Cathedral of Saint Andrew.

-----------------------------------------------------------

What is your background?

I am a liturgical choral director trained at Aquinas College, Calvin College, University of Notre Dame, Westminster Choir College and St. John’s University. I have taught choral music at Catholic Central High School since 1995 and have worked as the Director of Liturgical Music for the Diocese of GR since 2006.

What is your favorite or most inspirational place?

I have had the wonderful opportunity to tour with choirs throughout Europe. My favorite places are Assisi and Rome in Italy and the countryside of Ireland.

Do you have a favorite artist? What attracts you to that artist’s work?

I have two favorite composers: Giovanni da Palestrina from the Renaissance period and Arvo Pärt from the Modern period. Both composers use minimal compositional techniques with such perfection. They are a joy to perform and listen to.

Létourneau organ inside St. Andrew's Cathedral

Why choose to perform inside the Cathedral?

The Cathedral of Saint Andrew is the Mother Church of the Diocese of Grand Rapids. It also has a beautiful space for choral singing and has the distinction of having three Létourneau organs in the worship space. The opportunity to collaborate with so many churches and their choirs for this ArtPrize concert has been truly inspirational and a lot of fun. I hope something like this can happen again in the future.

What is integral to the work of an artist?

Honesty and dedication to the craft. Music, like art, requires the musician (or artist) to “get out of the way” so the music (or art) can speak for itself.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Check out our Facebook event for more specifics: Voices of the City Event

Cathedral Square: New and returning features

New for 2014! Cathedral Square features LIVE performances:

Two Days, Four Performances!

Yetzke, Kenagy & Kreindler, When the Days Become a Moment, 2014, performance art

Hope College will showcase TWO live performances at Cathedral Square, under the title "When the Days Become a Moment", a time-based weaving of dance, poetry and live music performed by twenty-five student and faculty artists from Hope College. This original work explores time, memory, and human connection while responding to the landscape and texture of Cathedral Square. A shifting stage and opportunities for audience interaction invite the viewer to tangibly experience the performance.

1st and 2nd Saturdays of ArtPrize, performances at 11am and 3:30pm each day. Performances expected to last 30 minutes per. Expected to have 5 poets, 5 musicians, and 15 dancers in their ensemble.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One Time Only!

Dennis Rybicki, Voices of the City, 2014, time-based interfaith choir performance

In the opening week of ArtPrize 2014, Grand Rapids Diocesan director of liturgical music and 2014 ArtPrize artist Dennis Rybicki, along with the Cathedral Square ArtPrize Team, will host "Voices of the City", a time-based, interfaith, 300+ member, live choir performance event at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew,  located at 301 Sheldon Blvd. SE in Grand Rapids.

The public is welcome and invited to witness this one-hour performance on September 28th in the parish of the Cathedral at 3:00pm, but seating is limited so hurry! There will also be a live feed showing in the 2nd floor gallery of the Cathedral Square Center, where other ArtPrize entries can also be enjoyed. Refreshments will be served after the choir event.

This event is a free sacred music concert featuring local church choir members and student ensembles from faith based schools in the Grand Rapids area. The 300+ member choir will be comprised of individuals from Aquinas College, Grand Rapids Christian High School, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Basilica of St. Adalbert and more. The concert will start with performances by several individual choirs and culminate with a performance of well-loved hymns by the combined congregation of all choirs included.

One of the largest choir performances ArtPrize, and possibly Grand Rapids, will experience!

RSVP on Facebook: Voices of the City

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Pulse is Beating at Cathedral Square!

We are happy to welcome new artists such as Sun Young Kang with “Memories Unfolded”, and returning artists such as Tony Hendrick with “Gathering Sap”. Every artist who will exhibit at our showcase venue conveys a pattern of rhythm within their work.

Arena District Preview: Arena District is offering a preview of ArtPrize by enlisting participating venues to display artwork one week before the start date, September 24. Starting on the 17th, each participating venue, including Cathedral Square, will be open for viewing during regular business hours (M-F 9am-5pm).

Education Days: Students and visitors can learn about the artwork on display, art composition and methodology, and the importance of how rhythm connects to art and life. Meet and greet with artists during these brief informational sessions within the indoor venue space. Sept 30, Oct 2, Oct 7, Oct 9, 9a-12p each day (each session lasts about 1 hour).

Slow Art at the Catholic Information Center: Sometimes people feel like they just don’t have enough time during ArtPrize to slow down and enjoy the art. Slow Art at the Catholic Information Center (CIC), located on the 2nd floor of the Cathedral Square Center, gives visitors the opportunity to relax and spend time seeing art in the venue at a comfortable pace. After viewing, staff and visitors meet with a guest artist, enjoy lunch, and talk about impressions of the art. During Slow Art, people get “inspired, not tired!”.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While You Visit:

Utilize FREE parking! Register to vote without long lines!

Meet and speak with artists! Enjoy art with family and friends!

* Here is a map to illustrate how to get to the free parking facility:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Visit our Facebook page for dates and venue information! "Like" ArtPrize at Cathedral Square and stay up-to-date with everything happening at our showcase venue!

Julie Friedman Installs Her Art

This photo timeline illustrates an example of the installation process that our 40 featured artists are currently undergoing. Follow the artists on their journey further via our Facebook page and Twitter page.

Step 1:

 

Step 2:

Step 3:

  

Step 4:

Step 5:

Julie Friedman, A Greenhouse for Life, 2014, tyvek and pipe, 144 x 60 x 108 inches