Art is more than just a canvas and paint. And I was lucky enough to see just how many people appreciate art by attending the art prize event with my reading class. Although I didn’t get to see as much art as I would have liked, I had the opportunity to view several pieces. Each piece was very detailed and fun to create. Some were even touching and inspirational. I also learned a lot from this outing.
The first piece my reading class and I went to see was titled “Coup De Grace” it was created by Caleb Brennan. It resembled Jesus on the cross. It consisted of woodwork and some clay as well as paint. It wasn’t exactly my favorite piece of the outing, but it was pleasant to view.
The second piece we had the chance to see was a fused glass and steel piece. It was created by Joshua Russell and Regina Johandes. The piece was glistening in the single ray of sunlight. The fresh raindrop that covered the art made the piece shine and the specks of metallic would sparkle like glitter. You could make out shades of blue and silvers. It was very beautiful.
After we saw the steel and fused glass piece, we made our way, a grueling ten steps to the third display titled “The Fungus among Us” by Monica Walker. It was a clay mosaic of large mushrooms. They gave me the feeling of being in the story “Alice in Wonderland” written by Lewis Carroll. The mushrooms had been a delicious shade of red with white spots. I was expecting a caterpillar with a hookah to come crawling out from behind. I absolutely loved it.
On our journey away from “Wonderland” we headed towards the children’s museum. They had a display that was no match from the display across from them. In fact, I can’t even remember what it was that their art was title. I was too worked up with my class as we had played a long with Kevin Kammeroad’s puppet show. It had been so much fun! I first noticed a loud voice, talking about singing songs. I turned quickly and everyone had been watching this puppet. I smiled with my class as we sang about turkey and cheeseburgers. It was hilarious.
As my reading class and I walked off towards “The Bob” we had all been dismissed to go our separate ways to find what caught our attention the most. I was instantly amused by Paul Baliker’s “Ocean Exodus” it was a beautiful wood sculpture of the oceans creatures. There had been several creatures I could make out. I saw fish, a whale, starfish and seahorses. And right in the middle was a large octopus holding a small planet earth. It was beautiful. There had been so much detail in this piece I wouldn’t be surprised if I missed anything.
The next exhibit I wandered to was not something that caught my attention at first. I wasn’t expecting it at all, until the artist personally handed me a card and pointed up at his art. I saw several women all of them survivors of cancer. It was very touching and inspiring.
The very last display I saw was a living statue, covered in bronze paint and decked out in construction worker gear. It was truly bizarre. The living statue really seemed to love the crowd, and they loved him too! I couldn’t help myself but chuckle as children had cried and ran off. They weren’t expecting those statues to move and respond!
With my experience at the 2011 art prize I had learned a lot about people and how they choose to create their art. Many people do many different things with many different types of media. It’s all very unique and it really makes me want to get involved in some form of artwork. I would love to be an artist and I would love to be a contestant at an art prize even one day.
I believe that art prize could be one of the most inspirational events here in Michigan that could help me become a better reader. If I want to learn about an artist’s entry, I would need to read about them, to get a feel of what they felt when they made it. But art isn’t just paint and canvas. Art can also be written. Poetry is art. Books are even art. To write something, and put it on paper for everyone to read, using your imagination. Is not something everyone wants to do and some people believe they aren’t talented enough to do this. So I believe writing and reading is a form of art. And that is why I believe art prize could make a better reader
