Sept. 23, 2024

Ferris State celebrates KCAD alumni and students among ArtPrize 2024 Top 100 and receiving community awards

At the halfway point of ArtPrize 2024, nine entries by talented artists with connections to Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design are among those garnering the most attention from visitors to the international art competition.

This past Friday at Studio Park in downtown Grand Rapids, organizers unveiled ArtPrize 2024’s current Top 100 entries—the 20 entries from each of the competition’s five city districts that have received the highest number of public votes—as well as the recipients of three community awards recognizing local and/or Michigan-based artists from underrepresented communities.

“With more than 900 artists participating in ArtPrize 2024, we’re thrilled to see so many KCAD community members rising to the top of this year’s competition,” KCAD President Tara McCrackin said. “Through exceptional skill, innovative technique, and engaging subject matter, these artists have created more than incredible pieces; they’ve created meaningful experiences that will stay with ArtPrize viewers long after the event is over.” 

KCAD connections in the ArtPrize 2024 Top 100

“horsegirl” by artist Sydney Bickel, a current student in the KCAD Studio Arts program, is among the top 20 entries in the Southside district. Hosted at vintage clothing store Zabház, “horsegirl” is a sprawling mixed-media installation that blends stream-of-consciousness drawings and journaling with photographs to link the history of horses in Western culture to the artist’s own family lineage and deep sense of connection to these animals.

Bickel, who is also pursuing a minor in photography at KCAD, is a transdisciplinary artist specializing in drawing, installation, performance, video, and photography that illuminates her experience of growing up queer in the Midwest.

“Ash desk with drawers” by artist Zak Doezema-Nuñez, a 2024 KCAD graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture and Functional Art, is among the top 20 entries in the Westside district. Hosted at Clear Sky Eyecare, “Ash desk with drawers” is a stunning piece of handmade sculptural furniture that showcases how Doezema-Nuñez’s skilled craftsmanship accentuates rather than tames the wood’s organic aesthetic.

Doezema-Nuñez creates custom furniture, cabinetry, and sculpted kitchen implements for a wide range of clients through his business, Zemanu Design.

“A Postcard of Eastown” by artist Devin DuMond, an assistant professor in the KCAD Digital Art and Design program who earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Illustration from the college in 2005 and a Master of Fine Arts degree in drawing in 2010, is among the top 20 entries in the Eastside district.

Painted on the side of Chez Olga in The McKendrick Building in Grand Rapids’ Eastown neighborhood, DuMond’s entry puts a modern twist on the classic “postcard” style murals often found in cities, where with the city name is part of the design, with bright bold colors and a contemporary typeface.

DuMond is a multi-disciplinary artist and entrepreneur who aims to connect communities and empower individuals through their branding and illustration work. Their portfolio includes several other large-scale murals at locations throughout Grand Rapids, including Gerald R. Ford International Airport, Van Andel Area, and Third Nature Brewing Co.

DuMond also served as project lead for the 2024 Paint My Ride Student Showcase organized by ArtPrize and West Michigan Honda Dealers in collaboration with KCAD. The initiative gave six KCAD students the opportunity to paint an original mural design on new vinyl-wrapped Honda vehicles for display throughout ArtPrize 2024. 

“Too Much Information” by Bruce Holwerda, a 1975 KCAD graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Illustration, is among the top 20 entries in the Center City district. Hosted at DeVos Place Convention Center, “Too Much Information” consists of a mixed-media sculpture and accompanying painting that speak to Holwerda’s frustrations with the daily barrage of media and information that’s become a seemingly inescapable aspect of modern life.

Following a career in advertising, Holwerda reinvented himself as a fine artist, spending the next 25 years traveling around America participating in various fine art festivals. “Too Much Information” stands as his first attempt at translating one of his two-dimensional paintings into a three-dimensional sculptural form.

“Dynamic Sunset” by artist John Katerberg, a 2015 KCAD graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting, is among the top 20 entries in the Westside district. Hosted at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, “Dynamic Sunset” is an extraordinary feat of both engineering and artistry that reflects Katerberg’s awe of Michigan’s natural wonders and the resiliency he cultivated in service to his country as a military veteran and Purple Heart recipient. 

Katerberg created the piece’s canvas from 104 pounds of sheet brass and welded steel—a skill he honed while repairing damaged military vehicles during Operation Desert Storm—before using an experimental combination of oil and acrylic paint to render his painting on top. Then, using an original technique he’s dubbed “Illuminated Brass,” Katerberg ground away some of the paint to reveal the steel and brass below, bringing a shimmering depth and illusion of movement to the piece due to the reflection of light off the bare metal.

Katerberg’s art has won numerous awards in local and regional art competitions, and can be found in homes, businesses, colleges, and churches around the world. He has also volunteered as an art instructor locally for Artists Creating Together and The Grand Rapids Home for Veterans.

“Way of the Eye Dancing” by artist Erica Kuhl, a 1991 KCAD graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Illustration, is among the top 20 entries in the Westside district. Hosted at iconic hippie boutique Shakedown Street, “Way of the Eye Dancing” is a sprawling mural that pays homage to the store’s 32-year history in Grand Rapids.

It features key symbols and characters of real people from the store’s lineage as well as over 100 Grand Rapids landmarks and buildings and iconography from American rock band The Grateful Dead, the inspiration for the store’s name and aesthetic. Kuhl also made the mural interactive, embedding smartphone-activated near field communication tags within the design that lead the user to opportunities to learn more about the people and places the mural depicts. 

“Ruling the North” by artist Shelley Lynn van Gilse, a 1983 KCAD graduate with an Associate of Fine Arts degree in Illustration, is among the top 20 entries in the Center City district. Hosted at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, “Ruling the North” is a tribute to the NFL’s Detroit Lions franchise, which is coming off a historic season that saw the team fall just one win short of its first ever Super Bowl appearance. The large-scale painting renders the head of a majestic lion in the team’s signature colors of Honolulu blue, silver, and white. 

In addition to her fine art practice creating pieces for schools, charity events, and private commissions, van Gilse has worked as an art director and a designer for a prominent toy and plush company as well as holding positions in the children’s clothing industry. 

KCAD connections in the ArtPrize 2024 Community Awards

Artist Tatsuki Hakoyama, an assistant professor in the KCAD Studio Arts program who earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from the college in 2010, received the 2024 West Michigan Asian American Association Community Award for his entry “Feel the Need to Breathe on My Own.”

A Japanese artist currently living and working in West Michigan, Hakoyama creates allegorical figurative paintings that invoke a sense of mystery reminiscent of magical realist painters like Giorgio de Chirico, Alberto Savinio, and Paul Cadmus. His award-winning work has been featured in more than 50 solo and group exhibitions throughout America.

Artist Teresa Dunn, one of 13 artists featured in KCAD’s ArtPrize 2024 exhibition Coming Home, received the 2024 West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Community Award for her entry "A Long Line Of Women.”

A Mexican American artist based in Michigan, Dunn created “A Long Line of Women” to amplify voices of individuals she’s connected with personally who have been marginalized as a result of their ethnic identity, gender expression or sexual identity. By using vibrant colors and bold brushstrokes to create her large-scale painting, Dunn presents viewers with themes of belonging, hope, and solidarity while amplifying the collective strength and resilience of the women who inspire her work.

All ArtPrize 2024 entries remain eligible to receive public votes until 10 p.m. on Thursday, September 26. The winners of this year’s competition will be announced during the ArtPrize Closing Ceremony, to be held on the KCAD campus outside the Woodbridge N. Ferris Building at 17 Pearl St. NW from 6:30-10:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27.

Coming Home is on view now through November 2 inside KCAD’s main campus building at 17 Fountain St. NW.