GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — One of the artists who made the ArtPrize 10 Juried Awards Shortlist is happy she finally made the cut.
This is Mandy Cano Villalobos' fourth ArtPrize, but the first time she's a finalist for a prize.
"I'm so glad. It feels really thrilling," said Cano Villalobos, who is the only Grand Rapids artist to make the Shortlist.
The finalists for the juried awards were announced Monday on WOOD TV8. They're up for $12,500 category awards and a $200,000 juried grand prize.
Cano Villalobos' piece is an installation titled Madison at Franklin. It presents the history of Grand Rapids through individual accounts of people who live here.
"It explores history in terms of race and of gender and giving voices to a lot of people who have not formerly, really, participated in that larger dialogue of history," Cano Villalobos said. "A lot of my work will take personal possessions or photographs and by putting that in a space, people are able to empathize with what they see."
Cano Villalobos says her inspiration is a reflection of growing up in a military family, which required her to travel and move often.
"I always desired this idea of home, and this longevity of being, but that's always eluded me because my family is a military family," she said.
You can view Cano Villalobos' piece, as well as a few other juried finalists, at SiTE:LAB, 415 Franklin St. SE.
The ArtPrize Awards are scheduled for Oct. 5 and will air live on WOOD TV8.