Local artists' work displayed at ArtPrize
Two Butler artists will have their artwork among more than 1,500 entries in this year’s international ArtPrize competition.
The contest is Sept. 23 to Oct. 11 at more than 160 venues in Grand Rapids, Mich.
The artwork by Tom Panei and Bill Secunda will be displayed at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum.
Panei’s 8- by 20-foot mural “In Bloom” is his fifth ArtPrize entry. Last year his “I Hear the Train a Comin’” made it into the top 25 and was later purchased by Right Brain Brewery in Traverse City, Mich., which plans to use the image on a beer bottle label.
Secunda’s entry is called “Unbridled.” It’s a life-size 3-D steel sculpture of a stallion and its female rider. The artwork is 9-feet high. Secunda has competed in ArtPrize many times and has been awarded cash prizes in 2009, 2010 and 2011. He brought home $7,000 each time.
The international art competition, open to any artist, has public and juried awards totaling more than $500,000.
