ArtPrize at 15: A Riverfront Story Still in Motion
ArtPrize has turned Grand Rapids into a riverfront hub for public art and community connection. As the city celebrates 15 years, new spaces and upcoming developments promise an even more dynamic ArtPrize experience along the Grand River.
Fifteen years ago, a giant creature named Nessie slipped into the Grand River and captured the city’s imagination. Since then, ArtPrize has transformed Grand Rapids into something far more than a gallery – it’s become a living, breathing storybook, where the Grand River is both the spine and the setting.
Each fall since 2009, the river has drawn in hundreds of thousands of visitors, some with cameras, others with sketchbooks, and many simply with curiosity. They walk the bridges, gather along the banks, and rediscover a downtown in constant conversation with creativity. What they find isn’t just art. It’s movement, a voice, and a world of possibilities.
The River Remembers
The Grand River has played a starring role during ArtPrize, offering artists a stage that’s as challenging as it is iconic. Nessie on the Grand, that long-necked ambassador of whimsy, emerged in 2009 to become one of the competition’s earliest viral hits. Since then, the water has held messages in motion and meaning:
Stick-to-it-ive-ness (2012) danced with the wind, a playful yet powerful metaphor for perseverance.
Stick-to-it-ive-ness (2012) Artist: Richard Morse. Photo by Greg Vedders.
Silkwaves (2013) mirrored the river’s fluidity, blurring lines between art and nature.
Silkwaves (2013) Artists: AI & Laurie Roberts. Photo by Steve/Lasher Studios.
SOS, Safety Orange Swimmers (2017) floated bold questions about displacement and survival.
SOS, Safety Orange Swimmers (2017) Artists: Ann Hirsch and Jeremy Angier. Photo by ArtPrize.
Harvest Dome 3.0 (2018) wove together sustainability and imagination with reclaimed materials, reflecting the community spirit woven through ArtPrize’s fabric.
Harvest Dome 3.0 (2018) Artists: SLO Architecture. Photo by ArtPrize.
The City Reimagines
Now, as ArtPrize turns 15, the story is shifting again – this time alongside a revitalized riverfront. What began as an experiment in culture through public art has matured into a broader vision for public life. New developments along the Grand River are shaping not just where people view art, but how they connect with the city and with each other.
What began as an experience in culture through public art has matured into a broader vision for public life.
Take Canal Park. Once a quiet stretch, it’s becoming a place where kayakers can glide past floating installations and pedestrians can stop for artist talks in a reimagined plaza. With a new paved trail connecting it directly to downtown, this historic ArtPrize site is poised to make a memorable return in time for ArtPrize 2026.
Lyon Square, long a concrete cut-through, has been reimagined as a gathering place with shaded seating and river views. It’s a space that invites visitors to slow down, enjoy their surroundings, and linger with the art and the people around it.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum has long been a cornerstone of ArtPrize, especially for large-scale outdoor works that play with scale and setting. With its upcoming renovations, the museum is poised to become an even more dynamic venue. A new park-like lawn, shaded seating, and accessible pathways will make it easier for all visitors to engage with art in a relaxed, natural setting.
At the museum, renovations are adding open lawn space, accessible walkways, and a rooftop tower with panoramic river views. It’s a place where art won’t just be seen, it will be experienced, from every angle.
The next chapter of ArtPrize is already taking shape – not just through installations, but through the physical spaces being built along the river. Two major developments still on the horizon, Amway Stadium and the Acrisure Amphitheater, offer more than just new places to gather. They represent bold new possibilities for how art, performance, and public life can converge along the Grand River.
A River that Connects
At its core, ArtPrize has always been about accessibility. Whether it’s those who get to create or the public making their votes heard, the city opens itself up and breaks down barriers to the arts. All the while, the Grand River is the throughline. It’s the element that anchors the past while carving space for what’s next.
As these riverfront spaces evolve, ArtPrize evolves with them. The citywide event is becoming a continuous experience – walkable, welcoming, and woven into the rhythm of daily life. The art is still the draw, but the river is the clear throughline.
Still Moving
Fifteen years in, ArtPrize is more than just a once-a-year phenomenon. It’s part of the city’s DNA, proof that public space matters and that art, when given room to breathe, can reshape how we see ourselves, our community, and the places we call home.
The river doesn’t stop. Neither does the spirit of ArtPrize. And that’s the beauty of it.
Stay connected to the GR& Riverfront for the latest on projects in and around downtown Grand Rapids.
