ArtPrize 2012 commemorative poster
Untitled painting by local attorney Pennie Johnson, one of the 1,511 entries in ArtPrize 2012.
GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM) -- More than 1,500 artists will take part in ArtPrize 2012 in Grand Rapids.
Organizers of the international art contest Thursday announced the number of artists and the 162 venues that will showcase their works.
A total of 1,511 artists from 45 states and 56 countries are taking part in the fourth-annual ArtPrize competition.
One of the artists, painter Pennie Johnson, is a local divorce attorney. "I'm happy to be part of the event and get my work shown," she says. "I was so excited when I got accepted."
"To get your work in front of 200,000 people in 19 days...I don't think there is any other gallery or art experience in the world that accomplishes what ArtPrize does for an artist," says Catherine Creamer, the competition's executive director.
While the main competition will be decided by the general public through online and mobile device voting, other awards will be selected by juries -- including a $100,000 prize. Total prize money is $560,000.
ArtPrize 2012 runs from September 19 to October 7.