In partnership with ArtPrize and Grand Rapids Public Schools, Consumers Energy is sponsoring and hosting the 2022 SmartArt (Students Making Art with a Renewable Theme) contest for another exciting year.

This public and free event showcases art focused on clean energy produced by Grand Rapids Public Schools high school students. Over 35 students entered their art for review, and the top ten student finalists were selected earlier this year. The ranking of the top ten artists and the winner of the SmartArt competition will be announced at Studio Park on September 18. Consumers Energy will award the SmartArt winner with a $2,000 scholarship – an increase from previous years – and a MacBook.

Panelists from Kendall College of Art and Design, GRCC and GVSU selected the 10 finalists:

  • Eleanor Broberg, The Metamorphosis (grade 9)
  • Aramy Escalante, The Source of Life (grade 11)
  • Alexis Harriman, The Story of Our Environment (grade 11)
  • Attyn Marshall, Twin Sisters (grade 10)
  • Ivy Maynard, By a Thread (grade 9)
  • Logan Richter, Sea Change (grade 11)
  • Abigail Strand, Growing Renewables (grade 9)
  • Tobin Venegas, The Time We Have Left (grade 10)
  • Ellery Younts, Dive Deeper (grade 11)

Following the finalist announcement, the top ten students’ pieces will be displayed for public viewing alongside the talented artists participating in ArtPrize in the city of Grand Rapids.

Over 500,000 people will flock to west Michigan to partake in this year’s event where hundreds of artists display their work throughout the city and compete for prize money and other awards.

Craig Searer, executive director of ArtPrize, looks forward to another year of celebrating student work in the Grand Rapids community.

The SmartArt contest at ArtPrize, “gives students a chance to be recognized in an international art festival, showcasing their art to friends, family, and visitors from around the globe” Searer said. “We are thrilled to celebrate these artists in partnership with Consumers Energy and Grand Rapids Public Schools by shining a spotlight on

their work and who they are as artists at this year’s ArtPrize.”

ArtPrize will be open to the public Sept. 15 through Oct. 2. New ArtPrize website updates this year will make the event more interactive for fans and help determine which ArtPrize artists are awarded prize money.

For the first time, visitors will have the power to locate venues and see the art at that venue, all from the phone in their hand.

“Visitors can then add their favorite artists to their favorites list, helping them to remember what art was where and share the excitement with friends and family,” Searer said. “Gone are the days where you had to ask yourself, ‘now where was the piece again?’ This is part of the new experience for how people can enjoy ArtPrize.”

Additionally, social media and the digital age have inspired a new digital category for art this year.

“We are casting a wider net, staying agile and adjusting to what’s happening around the art world,” said Searer.

For more information on this year’s ArtPrize, visit www.ArtPrize.org. “We continue to grow every year,” Searer said. “We appreciate the support of Consumers Energy over the years and look forward to a bright future of working together and helping educate art students on the importance of art in our community.”