ArtPrize

I love Grand Rapids.  Love it.  I am a hardcore fan of Michigan, which may or may not be because it is home to all of my siblings and my parents.  I am very close with my family.  In fact, myself and all of my siblings (there are four of us) live within 2.5 miles of each other off the same main street.  My parents are 45 minutes south of us in the same house I grew up with my entire life.

Here in Grand Rapids there is a event called ArtPrize.  It is the largest art competition in the world with the largest prize for the winners.  It began in 2009, and has proven to be an amazing event.  For 2 1/2 weeks, downtown Grand Rapids is covered in sculptures, paintings, statues, drawings, etc.  Things are made from all different types of materials.  There are very few rules to the competition, making it an art free-for-all.

It's funny, because I don't often think of what I do as art.  Painting a picture is art.  Creating a sculpture out of clay is art.  I often forget that creating hats, appliques, scarves, booties, etc is art also!  This got me to thinking that it would be fun to enter a piece next year.  Now for the real question...what?

I can make most anything out of yarn, but what would be worthy enough to enter into an art competition?  I have been thinking of linking it with Rosie's Cozies and doing something for Helen DeVos Children's Hospital.  There have been amazing yarn bombs done over school buses and VW Bugs.  Could I really do that?  It isn't really original, but it would be awesome to see.  Maybe I could crochet a "blanket" to cover one of the pillars at the hospital....I am still brainstorming.  I am trying to figure out if I do preemie hats and arrange them in some sort of artistic manner, if I do a huge blanket of grannies, or if I want to do sort of a mural with appliqués and loads of color.  

Source

I think my biggest question is how can I create something with MEANING that goes beyond just a hook and yarn.  How can I crochet something that others will look at and be touched?  Maybe I have the artistic hands to create something, but not so much the deeper artistic thought :-)

And who knows?  Maybe this is a goal too lofty for me right now!