Learn more at the kickoff volunteer event
Who: past volunteers and those interested in volunteering this year
When: August 14, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Where: The Harris Building, 111 South Division
RSVP: on Facebook
The ArtPrize staff are getting ready for another year of their fall event- and they will once again be in need of over 1000 volunteers to make it happen.
This year, their kickoff event for volunteers on August 14, the "Volunteer Field Camp," invites past and future volunteers to join them to learn more about volunteering while being among the first to sample the brand new Inspired Artist Black IPA from Founders Brewing Company.
Volunteer sign-up opens August 15, the day after the kickoff event. Opportunities range from working at the Hub in the Kids Art Room, the Cafe, or selling ArtPrize merchandise; serving as a Wayfinder, ArtPrize's term for tour guides and downtown event ambassadors or helping execute special events like Education and ArtPrize Awards.
Amelea Pegman, Community/Volunteer Director, says that a key part of the volunteer program at ArtPrize is a sense of ownership thanks to the way the program is designed to reflect the event itself.
"The volunteer platform gives anyone in the community the chance to participate in ArtPrize. We need artists and venues and voters, but just as much, we need our community members to come alongside us with their energy and enthuisiam and make it all happen," says Pegman.
Pegman says the event is a good time to show and share our civic pride, as more than 400,000 people visit downtown during the those three weeks. She says the event is a chance for all Grand Rapids citizens, regardless of skill or interest, to be a part of placemaking in the city.
"Placemaking is about people, not about things. Where people get involved, that is placemaking. And that is what ArtPrize does. It allows people to gather, to interact with one another in a physical space and centralized time," says Pegman. "For three weeks every fall, ArtPrize invites anyone and everyone to create and contribute something meaningful. It connects suburban masses with urban underserved, art lovers with art newcomers, in a huge and game-changing way. When these improbable groups gather to celebrate, to inspire and to be inspired, they tap creativity, activate innovation and ultimate revolutionize our culture. These are the things that will continue to enhance Grand Rapids and make it a place where people are even more thrilled to gather, visit, and live."
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