GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The director and filmmaker behind the a mini-documentary that captivated the crowd at the ArtPrize 10 awards show says he had to “pull some favors” to make it happen.
“(I had) a lot of fear and terror. How do you encapsulate an event like ArtPrize? It’s hard to describe,” director and producer Brian Kelly said Monday.
His 81/2-minute piece at the start of Friday’s awards show illustrated the early challenges of ArtPrize, like when downtown Grand Rapids ran out of food. It also highlighted favorite moments and top pieces for the public, like 2014’s double grand prize winner, Intersections.
“I was trying to capture, you know, just kind of this rocket ship that ArtPrize has been for the city of Grand Rapids, and some of the controversies and some of our favorite pieces. And just kind of connect it to this big ‘thank you’ letter to the city of Grand Rapids, that has really embraced the event and made it happen like no other place in the country,” Kelly said.