MORE ART UPSTAIRS (Jody Hassett Sanchez, U.S.). 76 minutes. Rating: NNN
At ArtPrize, the most-attended ongoing art show in the world – in Grand Rapids, Michigan – artists vie for two $200,000 prizes, one awarded by a jury, the other by public vote. Along the way, creators, organizers and members of the public comment on the eternal questions: What is art, and who should decide?
Jody Hassett-Sanchez successfully evokes the tensions between art snobs – like the organizers seen almost rolling their eyes as the public votes roll in or the bitter losers bemoaning the results – and Joe and Jane Public, who tend to go for the pretty stuff.
At times, the doc fails to convey the full power of the works on display. What does impress is the extent to which the mammoth exhibit triggers conversations – including with children – about the fundamentals of artistic expression.
This kind of public engagement, the bread and butter of ArtPrize, is something the conventional art world can only dream about.
May 3, 6:30 pm, Isabel Bader May 4, 7 pm, TIFF 1 May 5, 9:15 pm, Fox May 7, 6:30 pm,Isabel Bader
