Saints at Artprize

“In the Garden’s Maw” by Caroline Hahn – Photo by Lauryn Jelsema

Saints at Artprize

By Lauryn Jelsema, Aquinas reporter

ArtPrize, an international art competition and cultural festival held annually in Grand Rapids, took place this past month.

This year, 13 Aquinas Saints—alumni, along with a student and a member of staff—participated in the competition: Lisa Nawrocki (alum), Grace Grioux (alum), Rosanne Coty (alum), Caroline Hahn (alum), Tess Mashour (alum), Annie Hall (staff), Hannah Mabie (faculty), Joel Grimsley (student), Gemma Kailing (alum), Ezra Faust (alum), Rob Vanderzee (alum), Margaret Vega (exhibiting artist, library gallery), and Danielle Wyckoff (exhibiting artist, AMC gallery).

With so many alumni, students and staff participating in the competition, pieces connected to AQ were evenly spread throughout the city.

Margaret Vega’s “Stellar Remnants” was located in the Devos Convention Center, one of the biggest venues participating in Artprize. Earlier this year, on Jan. 16, the Grace Hauenstein Library Art Gallery hosted an exhibition featuring the artist. Vega also has a connection to the school through her father, who attended AQ after fighting in World War II.

Vega’s Artprize entry, in the 2D category, consisted of eight separate pieces of oil and Kaolin on linen boards. Most contained earthly components, such as beach sticks and rocks, porcelain shards and rusted steel. In her artist statement, Vega explains that she uses these artifacts to “document, explore, and validate existence… all overlap in their references and association to explain, validate, and ultimately, question.”

People coming to see the art often gravitated toward the second board, showcasing brown-colored rocks in a small steel tin. “It looks like coffee,” a nearby spectator remarked to their friend.

Artprize contestant Ellen Rosewall, commenting on Vega’s work, said, “It’s really interesting. I like the fact that they’re all tied together, but they’re all different. They have different things, so they’re remnants that look like little shells or rocks that she’s picked up, and she’s just creatively made things with them.”

“The Forest” by Robert Vanderzee – Photo by Lauryn Jelsema

Robert Vanderzee, an AQ graduate, and winner of the Public Vote award in the 2D category last year with his piece “The Prophets,” also had his art displayed in the DeVos Convention Center. This year, he entered a work that had similar natural elements titled “The Forest.”

As of Friday morning Oct. 3, Vanderzee was in the top 20 for the 2D category. After the closing ceremonies later that night in Studio Park, it was revealed that he had won the category for the second year in a row. “The Forest” is an oil painting on four separate boards that come together to make one piece, spanning a total of eight feet. The painting is meant to be a colorful representation of human nature and the state of the modern world: “We just don’t seem to be waking up in time,” said Vanderzee.

A remarkable aspect of the painting, in addition to its size and general message, is the combination of evolutionary and religious elements. “We live on a miracle planet. And even us, we’re miracle monkeys,” Vanderzee said. “I’m just very frustrated with religion, to be quite frank. The elements of this world… they have bastardized Christianity to a point it’s unrecognizable. Mangled it.” The artist statement clarified that the apes featured in the work are designed to represent people’s most human characteristics and vices: “fear, greed, cruelty, gluttony, malice, humor, envy, affection, and vengeance.” Meant to be a mirror of the current culture, the animals can be seen smoking, drinking, and even using iPhones.

Small, modern figurines are also hidden throughout the painting, which Vanderzee said were added later in the process as a way to include a bit of humor. Various recognizable superheroes, a Mickey Mouse figurine, as well as Barbie and Ken dolls sitting in a light pink miniature car.

The piece is a vivid, dark, and humorous representation of modern life. Vanderzee said that he hoped his painting would strike onlookers emotionally, and watching people’s reactions, he feels he’s accomplished that.

“Renaissance” by Joel Grimsley – Photo by Lauryn Jelsema

Joel Grimsley, one of AQ’s international students, had his painting featured at the Gerald R. Ford Museum. His piece “Renaissance” is a 68 x 52” oil painting entered in the 2D category, featuring his girlfriend Kerrigan Smedley as the subject.

The artist’s statement details how the two met during his junior year at Aquinas, “while performing in a production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.” Grimsley wanted to make a piece that told the story of the beginning of the couple’s relationship, with references to how they met and their first date.

The still life includes items like books (The Lord of the Rings, Twelfth Night, Shakespeare and the Holy Bible), props and artifacts that hold meaning to the couple’s story. In the painting, you can also see The Bells of Ireland lying at Smedley’s feet, a reference to Grimsley’s home. Both Grimsley and Smedley are studying in Ireland this year.

Unfortunately, “Renaissance,” like many other works, was not on display during the last few days of Artprize, as the museum closed Oct. 1 due to the recent government shutdown.

As this year’s ArtPrize comes to a close, the contributions of Aquinas Alumni, students, and staff are recognized as a wonderful representation of the college’s dedication to the arts.