The "natural" view of ArtPrize in Grand Rapids

It's not a typical topic that gets posted on this blog, but with all the photos my wife and I took this weekend at Grand Rapids' ArtPrize, I  wanted to find some way to share there here.

Many of the pieces involve the outdoors or are made from natural materials during the competition, which is quite the sight to see in downtown Grand Rapids in the early autumn. It's the second year we've gone there, and it's been intriguing to see what people have come up with.

The event is a public art competition, but we've always enjoyed just seeing what is created and placed in the city. What follows are some of the entries we saw and enjoyed, and that have a more "natural" feel to them. Enjoy!

This one, "The Tree of Life" was done using real leaves and drying them out.
Very cool.

One of our favorites: "Earth Giant," made completely from items such as
rocks, moss and wood. One of the cooler entries we saw. Voted as one of the
Top 10.

This painting of a dahlia, entitled "kaBOOM," did just that with its color.
It really stuck out to us.

While not made from natural materials, these flags were placed in the
Grand River. They've had some entries in the river, including some horses
made from wood last year. These were quite pretty waving in the wind, but
not as impressive of the horses.