ArtPrize Respite

It is Raining in Grand Rapids, thank God. I have a day to chill a bit after the 24/7 build, install and tending of the Car Chase for ArtPrize. What a marathon. I’m used to all nighters to hit a deadline making a piece, I had planed for a brutal installation schedule, but it had not occurred to me how much tending the public venue would require. The BOB parking lot is the hottest spot in town. That’s great for the voting. I’m running in the top 25 and people really seem to enjoy the piece. But there is an acrobatic performance next to me and 2500 people pack in and want to use my piece as a set of bleachers. I get up on a lamp pole base4 times a day to monitor and spook nearby people yelling: “PLEASE do not climb on the sculpture.” The parking lot has food and drink booths including beer, so the crowd lasts well after midnight. They kick over my lamps, and set their kids on it for a picture. But I hand out number cards and tell the story over and over, and they vote for me. 5 strait days of this routine is now behind me with just a few days before round one is over.

Had a couple of bugs come down in the wind storm last night but it still looks pretty good. Oh to win a prize and recoup some expenses!

Friends in from out of town so we will enjoy a lunch at the BOB. The owner stops by, he is doing well and I am a major attraction. He quips: “Hey tj, mind if I stand on your sculpture?” Thanks Greg. More next time from ArtPrize in GR.
TJ.

Installed !

I’m sitting on a folding chair in the parking lot next to the Car Chase installation. I’ve been remiss in my writing because I’ve had a solid two weeks of non stop finishing, packing, hauling, unloading, installing and general figuring out how to do this. The results are gratifying though. Lots of thumbs up comments on the work. Old guys remember their dad having a Hudson, kids love the cartoonish car, curious ladies see the figures in the waves and exclaim. And everyone has a question. What year is that? How long did it take? What is it made of? How did you come up with this idea.

I re itterate my thesis on the impact of the auto on our society over and over as they ask. It is a lot of fun to work the crowd.

Will it be worth the effort? Some how it already is. This event has forced me to finish a major composition.

Come on down and Vote 24611!

See you at the BOB,

Tj

www.Sculpturebytj.com

Made the paper!

In the Holland Sentinel over the weekend:
http://www.hollandsentinel.com/lifestyle/x1699586162/ArtPrize-inspires-global-competition
Though, a couple of things to clarify:
the PhotoShop stuff is done by someone else (Rob White), and the Hudson is not being chased by birds, rather Bugs!
Still, good press!

How to vote for for Car Chase

Update on ArtPrize -voting for Tj and Car Chase!
During ArtPrize, there will be two ways to vote for Car Chase: Online or by text message.

• To vote online, you can search for Tj Aitken or "Car Chase" and vote right on Tj's profile.
• To vote by text message, send votes to 878787
• To vote on Tj's piece, send in the message: vote24611 (vote up) vote24610 (vote down)
• Note that your 5 digit code (representing Tj's work) must have the word "vote" in front of it when it is sent in the text message.
• Why the up vote and down vote? During Week 1, you can vote an artist up or down. ArtPrize designed voting this way knowing that an artist with the most votes up may be the most popular, but the artist with the most votes up AND down may be the most talked about, thought about and controversial work in the event. Both the popular and controversial works are important to the conversation around ArtPrize.
• See instructions for all the different ways to vote.
• Come to The B.O.B. to enjoy all the art, food, drink, and fun! (Party starts Sept. 23 8pm)

Making Waves For ArtPrize

It is Saturday and, of course, I feel way behind. I Took a few moments to go to the Cruise with the hot rod Lincoln last weekend, and do a little promotion for the Car Chase. The bug on the roof attracted a lot of attention and I worked the beer tent handing out cards and explaining the voting for ArtPrize. But it rained a lot.
The studio this week was all cement, pigments and broken glass as the waves for around the Hudson got set in stone. Next is the cable suspension system for the bugs. That has to go up next weekend. It is a joy to be sculpting but a project of this magnitude is also nerve racking. My studio assistant Skye Hopper shot some pics for me. See you In Grand Rapids at the BOB!

Getting ready to install pieces of Car Chase

Sites for registering to vote in ArtPrize are now posted and it's all FREE! See the ArtPrize website for info.

Keep up with TJ's progress here, on facebook, or his website: www.SculptureByTj.com