Oh, hi! I didn’t see you there. I’m really excited that you have this magazine in your hands—or on your screen—and that we have the opportunity to share this with you. My name is Catlin Whitington, and I’m the Executive Director of ArtPrize, an international art competition that brings amazing artists and artwork from around the world to Grand Rapids, Michigan, every year.
I wanted to talk for a moment about something very close to my heart: the incredible power of art and how it’s a part of our everyday lives.
You might think that art is something you only see in museums or galleries but art is all around us! It’s the murals on buildings, the design of your favorite sneakers, and the graphics in video games. It’s not just about painting or drawing; it’s about expressing yourself and seeing the world in new and exciting ways. It’s about the personal expression that influences everything from technology to where and how we interact with each other.
One of the most amazing things about art is how it helps us grow. When you create art, you’re not just making something beautiful— it teaches us to be patient, to solve problems creatively, and to express ourselves. Whether you’re scribbling with crayons, snapping photos on your phone, or building something out of clay, you’re using your imagination to see the world from different perspectives.
Art also plays a role in our emotional well-being and can help us to relax and feel good or can help us work through challenges in our lives. It’s a way to express feelings that we might not have words for. When we look at art, it can inspire us, make us think, and help us understand the world around us.
At ArtPrize, we believe that everyone is an artist. We celebrate all kinds of art and all kinds of artists. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been creating for years, your art matters. Your unique way of seeing the world adds something special to our community. So keep drawing, painting, building, and imagining. Keep sharing your art with the world, because you never know who might be inspired by your work.
Remember, art isn’t just something we do—it’s a part of who we are. It’s how we connect with each other and how we understand ourselves better. So, the next time you pick up a paintbrush, a pencil, or even a piece of chalk, know that you’re doing something powerful. You’re expressing your own unique voice and making the world a more colorful, interesting place.
Thank you for being a part of this creative journey. I can’t wait to see the amazing things you’ll create and share with the world. Be excellent to each other.
Catlin Whitington Executive Director, ArtPrize
About Cultivate:
Cultivate is an independent, artistrun arts organization based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We offer fine art education program, and artist resource center.
Actively teaching the Art and Artists of Artprize, Cultivate has created three magazines (grades K-3, 4-8, 9-12) that are Common Core standardized that can be a teaching tool and resource for art teachers and students year-round. These magazines will be distributed to art classrooms and schools across West Michigan and available at ArtPrize!
Cover:
Jorg Engstermann, Marea Tropical
Images:
Friedrich-Johann-Justin-Bertuch, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
By Original author is de:John Barnes Linnet - Zeitgenössische Illustration (1886), via de.wikipedia, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5182776
Quatremère de Quincy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
MarkusMark, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
By User Janke on en.wikipedia - Originally from en.wikipedia; description page is (was) here, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=722295
CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1169107
Velvet, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
C.Stadler/Bwag, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1793695
Margie Criner All Is Not Lost
Maggie Bandstra [2D] Flowers and Grasses @ DeVos Place Convention Center VOTE ID 13681
Ash Robinson [2D] We Are Here @ DeVos Place Convention Center VOTE ID 46473
Adrienne Outlaw [3D] Reef @ DeVos Place Convention Center VOTE ID 71543
Rene MG [Time-Based] Chairs off the Pedestal @ Vicinity VOTE ID 29834
Teresa Dunn [2D] A Long Line of Women @ Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University VOTE ID 48866
Curating:
Hannah Stevenson
Mallory Shotwell
Editorial/Copywriting:
Mallory Shotwell
Eric Osborne
Graphic Design/Spot Illustration:
Eric Osborne
Mythical Creatures & Legends
Mythical Art
Wearable Myths: Fashion Designers Inspired by Legends
Fashion designers can create clothes that are like pieces of art you can wear! They get ideas from old stories and legends, using symbols and patterns from myths to make their designs special. Imagine wearing a shirt with a pattern of a mighty Greek hero or a dress that looks like it belongs to a fairy queen! These designers use their skills to make these clothes so that when people wear them, they can feel like part of a magical story. It’s a cool way to bring legends to life through fashion!
Eco-Fantasy: Using Natural Materials to Create Mythical Art
In the exciting world of EcoFantasy art, artists use materials from nature like wood, stone, and metal to create amazing art pieces inspired by myths and nature. These artists pick up things you might find in a forest or on a beach and turn them into beautiful sculptures and paintings. They might carve a fairy out of wood or shape a stone into a small dragon. This kind of art is not just cool to look at; it also helps us remember to care for our planet. By using natural materials, artists show us how art and nature can come together to tell magical stories.
In the world of art, artists can make art about whatever they want to! For some artists, mythical creatures like dragons, unicorns, and mermaids are superstars! Artists love to paint, draw, and sculpt these fantastic beings, pulling them right out of ancient stories and into our modern world. Each creature is unique, and artists do a lot of homework to get their details just right. For instance, when creating a picture of a Greek Cyclops, an artist might look up old myths to learn all about its giant eye and massive size.
Creating art with these creatures is like going on a time-travel adventure into the past. Artists use bright colors and different materials to make each mythical creature pop off the page. When you see a piece of art featuring a mighty phoenix rising from the ashes or a sneaky, shape-shifting kitsune from Japanese folklore, it’s not just cool to look at—it also tells a story. These artworks help keep the old legends alive, making sure we don’t forget these awesome tales from long ago.
Mythical Creatures & Legends
Sculpting the Past: Ceramic Artists and Their Mythical Inspirations
Ceramic artists use clay to bring ancient myths to life by sculpting mythical creatures like dragons, unicorns, and phoenixes. The
Animating Legends: The Animators Behind
Today’s Mythical Creature Features
Have you ever wondered how mythical creatures in movies and TV shows come to life?
It’s all thanks to the talented
artists shape clay into fantastic forms that seem to jump out of the old stories and into our world. When you look at a ceramic sculpture of a mythical creature you can see every detail, scales on a dragon’s back or the fiery colors of a phoenix’s feathers.
Artists combine old tales with their artistic skills to make something both beautiful and mysterious. They work carefully, using their hands to mold clay into the shapes of creatures that people have imagined for thousands of years. Each
animators and concept artists who work behind the scenes. These creative people use computers and their imaginations to draw and animate creatures like dragons, giants, and magical beasts that we see on screen.
In our special feature, “Animating Legends,” we talk to some of these amazing artists. They share how they start with just a simple sketch and then use animation software to make the creatures move and look real. They also explain how they think about the way a mythical creature might walk, fly, or express emotions, just like real
sculpture is not just art; it’s a way to keep these ancient stories alive.
Seeing mythical creatures in clay is really special because it makes the stories feel real. Maybe you’ve read about these creatures in books or seen them in movies, but seeing them as sculptures can make you think about them in new ways. Artists hope that when you see their work, you feel a connection to the myths and the magic they bring into our lives. This is how they share their love for old legends and art with everyone.
animals!
These artists spend a lot of time studying myths and legends to make sure their creations fit into the stories we all love. They also try to add new details to make these creatures even more exciting and fun to watch. For example, an animator might decide how the scales on a dragon reflect light or how a unicorn’s mane flows when it runs.
It’s a lot of work, but these artists love bringing the magic of myths to our screens, making the stories we read about come alive in ways we can watch and enjoy.
H.Highwater [3D] Old Stories @ The Atrium at Ucellos Downtown VOTE ID 59851
Create With Us!
Color in the ArtPrize design:
Artist Statement
Hello, my name is . I am a artist. I love to make art about and . When I create, I use , which is my favorite way to make art because it lets me
In my art, you will see lots of because I think it’s important to talk about . My latest project is called . In this project, I tried to show by using .
I believe art is a great way to share ideas and feelings. I hope my art makes people think about and . In the future, I want to keep making art that helps others see the world in new ways.
Make a sketch and write down ideas on an eco art project you could make! Think about materials you could easily find around your house or at school!
Eco art is a cool way of making art that helps the Earth. Artists who make eco art use materials that are natural or recycled, turning things that might have been thrown away into beautiful art. This kind of art is not only fun to look at but also good for our planet because it uses less waste.
One artist who creates amazing eco art is Aurora Robson. Aurora takes plastic bottles and other plastic waste and turns them into stunning sculptures. She collects plastic that people usually throw away, like water bottles and shopping bags, and transforms them into colorful, flowing shapes that remind us of creatures from the ocean or plants. By doing this, Aurora helps reduce the amount of plastic waste, which is a big problem for the environment.
Aurora Robson’s art is really inspiring because it shows us that with creativity and care for our environment, we can make something beautiful and helpful. Her work teaches us that recycling isn’t just about reusing stuff— it can also be a way to create something new and exciting.
This is why eco art is so important; it combines art with action to help our planet.
Artists From The Midwest
Minnesota
Rene MG is an artist from Minnesota who creates participatory immersive/ interactive performances, also known as PIP art. Her work involves the audience, allowing them to either watch or fully engage in the unique experience.
Missouri
Adrienne Outlaw, an artist from Missouri, uses post-consumer plastic to create art with bright colors and patterns. Her work brings attention to the problem of too much human consumption and suggests that art can be part of the solution.
Rene MG [Time-Based] Chairs off the Pedestal @ Vicinity VOTE ID 29834
Adrienne Outlaw [3D] Reef @ DeVos Place Convention Center VOTE ID 71543
Artists From The Midwest
Michigan
Maggie Bandstra is an artist from Michigan who focuses on themes of healing and connection. She makes abstract art inspired by nature using pottery and painting. Her work highlights movement and patterns to help us notice the beauty around us.
Michigan
Teresa Dunn is an artist from Michigan who paints about her culture, heritage, and the challenges of being a brown woman in the Midwest. Her visual storytelling expresses feelings of nostalgia, joy, belonging, and hope.
Illinois
Margie Criner is an artist from Illinois who creates small dioramas inside abstract sculptures. She invites people to look closely and from a distance to see all the details.
@ DeVos Place Convention Center VOTE ID 46473
Indiana
Ash Robinson is an artist from Indiana who uses different types of media in her art to show the diverse nature of Black society. Her portraits celebrate the pride and strength of the Black community.
Ash Robinson [2D] We Are Here
Teresa Dunn [2D] A Long Line of Women @ Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University VOTE ID 48866
Maggie Bandstra [2D] Flowers and Grasses @ DeVos Place Convention Center VOTE ID 13681
Margie Criner All Is Not Lost
Animation Station
Animation is a fun way to make drawings look like they are moving. Imagine drawing a stick figure in slightly different poses on many pages of a notebook. If you flip through the pages really fast, the stick figure seems to dance or jump. That’s basically how animation works—it tricks your eyes into seeing movement!
When animators make cartoons or movies, they also tell stories with their animations. They use the moving pictures to show us what the characters are feeling and what happens to them in the story. By changing how fast or slow the pictures change, they can make exciting scenes or slow, dramatic moments. Learning about animation means you get to see how your favorite cartoon characters come to life and move around!
Stop Motion
Stop motion animation is a type of animation that involves sculpture and photography. Sometimes called claymation this style can be made by posing clay figures for photos, then stitching them together on a computer to create a full animation.
Stop motion doesn’t have to be made with clay only, it can become a mixed media project with toys, foods, or even furniture. Imagination is essential when it comes to animation like this!
Flip Books
Flip books work by drawing each moment of an animation on seperate pieces of paper, then flipping through the stack of drawings. Our eyes only see each drawing for a brief moment, so our brain perceives them as an animation.
Try making your own flipbook! You can either staple small pieces of paper together, or try using a pad of sticky notes to save time and staples.
Animation Station
Ancient Animation
Before movies and TV animation existed in different ways. Artists had to get creative with the ways they shared their animations, ranging from spinning discs to spiraling cylinders. Because of the limits of their materials, these animations were often only seconds long.
Phenakistiscope
This style of animation consists of sequential illustrations on a disc. The disc is placed at the end of a stick and spun around to create the illusion of movement to the viewer.
Try making one yourself! First, cut out a circle. Then draw a sequence of images, one after the other, along the edge of your circle. Poke a hole through the circle and put it on the end of your pencil. When you spin it you should see your drawings come to life!
Zoetrope
Artists creating this type of animation add drawings to the inside of a hollow cylinder with slits cut in the side. When the cylinder is spun looking through the slits brings life to the drawings, and animation is born! This style of animation creates a short loop, so it often Zoetrope animations depict simple things, like a horse running or a person dancing.
Architectural Adventures
What is Architecture?
Architecture is the art of designing buildings! Architects are people who create the construction plans and draw the buildings before the builders get started. They design homes, schools, restaurants, parks, and any other type of building you can think of!
Architectural Models
Before sending a buildings plans to be made, many architects will test their building and see how it looks in person. They do this through creating 3d models, either on the computer or out of crafting materials! Try designing your dream home on paper, then get some craft materials like balsa wood, cardboard, construction paper, and you can get creative and use recyclable materials from around the house!
Architectural Adventures
The Styles of Architecture
In different parts of the world and in different times of history, the way buildings are designed has changed drastically. Even to this day it’s still changing! Oftentimes styles of the past are mirrored in the buildings of today, here’s a few examples of popular styles throughout history! Can you think of any buildings that look like these?
Inspired by ancient Roman buildings, many of which still stand today!
Often characterized by their square shape and white color, Modern architecture is still being made today!
Typically large buildings made of concrete, Brutalist architecture was popular in the 60’s!
Design Your Dream Home!
Classical
Modern
Brutalist
Interview With An Art Curator
Professional Curator: Eddie Tadlock
What inspired you to become a curator?
Nothing specifically inspired me to take on the role of a curator. I would guess that my love of the arts as a 10 year child, fueled my passion to take on curatorial projects over the last 20 years.
Can you describe your process for selecting and organizing an exhibition?
The process varies from show to show. If there is a call for artists to exhibit, I review all of the entries and select the works that speak to the theme of the show. If I am building a show from scratch, I tend to collaborate with artists, galleries and arts organizations to pull a show together, based on the theme that I have chosen.
What challenges have you faced in your career, and how did you overcome them?
About Eddie:
Eddie Tadlock is the Assistant General Manager at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he oversees the facility that hosts a variety of events. He plays a significant role in curating art exhibitions during major events like ArtPrize, helping to select and display diverse artworks. His efforts ensure that different types of art are showcased, highlighting local talent and fostering a welcoming environment for artists and attendees. Tadlock is recognized for his dedication to the arts and community involvement, contributing to the cultural scene of Grand Rapids.
I would say the only challenges that have drifted my way over the years, involved being told to curate a space for an exhibition/show, because no one else in the company or organization was willing to do the work. So, trial by fire has been my primary challenge as a “guest” curator for a number of venues and organizations. I have learned to go with the flow and not get bogged down with the process. I have curated over 50 art exhibitions/fairs/ festivals in the last 20 years.
Interview With An Art Curator
How do you stay inspired and keep your exhibitions fresh and engaging?
I am an art aficionado and when traveling, I always seek out the local art scene for inspiration. I tend to make it a point to visit as many museums, galleries, universities, churches and public art installations as possible in whatever time I have available. I think the key is to remain curious about art.
What role do you think exhibitions play in the art world and society?
Art is a significant part of our greater global society. Having the good fortune to travel to over 100 countries on the planet, I have seen firsthand how art impacts life, culture, politics and history. Everything from graffiti to public art in parks and streetscapes, you can feel the impact of the messages conveyed through the eyes and ears of artists. You do not have to travel far to see and experience art. Look no further than your hometown and take a stroll around the block.
Can you talk about a specific exhibition you’ve curated that has special meaning to you and why?
I would have to say that my first exhibition that I curated for the first ArtPrize competition in 2009 was very memorable and touching. I only selected 54 artists for the first show. I was to form friendships and
bonds with each individual artists, many whom I keep in touch with today. Many of those artists have advanced their respective careers as a result of being in that first exhibition (some winning Juried Prizes, Public Vote prizes and the Grand Prize in ArtPrize in the following years. Most recently, an artist from that first exhibition was commissioned to do a portrait that is now in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC.
How do you collaborate with artists and other professionals in the field?
In my view, the best way to collaborate with artists and professionals is to first and foremost, attend exhibition openings, go to galleries, Art Fairs and museums. And last but not least, buy art from living artists if you and when you can.
What advice would you give to young aspiring curators?
Follow your passion for the arts and never deviate from your dreams and vision of what art means to you in your personal life. Stay curious, read and study all you can about all kinds of art. The world needs artists as much as doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers and brick layers. Art is life…and life is art. Do not get it twisted. Art is the ultimate form of self-expression.
What is a Curator?
Galleries, Museums, and other arts organizations work with curators to decide on the pieces and works of art that will be displayed in their space. Sometimes an art show is led by a single curator and other times there is a group of curators who work together to decide.
Curation work is important to ensure that the art works in the show make sense together, usually a curator has a lot of knowledge of art throughout history as well as current artists.
Curators are often artists themselves. To be a good curator you have to understand the process of art making yourself, that way you can work well with the artists whose work you’re selecting for your art shows.
