on artprize and the cultural elite of grand rapids

i was going to write up a post about all this bullshit whining by the so-called “artists” of grand rapids about artprize, but my friend juliet had already done so over on her livejournal.  so with her permission, here’s her response, which sums up how i feel about it pretty succinctly:

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Art Prize? What is the big fucking deal?

I don’t understand all this ARTPRIZE whining. I know that I’m the sort of person that doesn’t give a fuck and isn’t on the DAAC board and I don’t even leave my house much these days, but it’s SOMETHING that’s going on in our city and you’re not going to stop it and you’re not the first person that ever realised that the DeVos family has more money than you.

To say that this prize is bullshit because you think the DeVos family should give money to local artists that are already here is trying to assert ownership over someone else’s income, something that if they so chose, they can EAT and shit out later. They don’t owe you shit. They don’t owe anyone shit. They built this city, and sorry for you, it wasn’t built on rock and roll. It was built on Jesus. And if that’s what it took to get hospitals and a convention center and shit that actually brought people to the shithole that used to be downtown Grand Rapids then that’s what it fucking took. I’m disappointed that John Waters didn’t fund the city and turn it into a carnival, but it didn’t happen. You got the Devos Family.

There HAVE been powerful local contributions to art. Peter Wege built a ballet theater.  To complain about the art prize is kind of like me throwing a fit because Van Halen is playing here. BUT I AM A MUSICIAN THAT LIVES HERE AND I WANT TO PLAY THE VAN ANDEL! Oh, but I CAN’T because I have NO MONEY and I’m NOT FAMOUS.

It just doesn’t seem like a big deal at all to me. It doesn’t cost anyone anything except the people who choose to enter. No one is making you enter. No one is making you host a venue. And it’s HIS fucking money. He could pay to have a giant statue of Moses erected where the empty intersection of Fulton and Diamond is and that’s his choice, because it’s his money. And they’d all complain about that, I’m SURE, because that property is empty and shitty and unused and you weren’t going to do shit with it, but goddammit, you didn’t want a Moses statue there. Well, I don’t want the Tap House downtown, or anywhere, really, but someone bought it and made it and that’s that.

I hate to sound so Republican about it, but I think people should just capitalize on the opportunities it’s going to present, because you can’t change anything about it. The bars and hotels and restaurants and shops will get tons of business. Make your tips. Book your band. Busk. Whatever. Just stop COMPLAINING because you weren’t doing anything ANYHOW. I feel like most of us drink or eat or snort or smoke our extra money, so we might as well just… let it happen. At least this dude isn’t spending all his money on trying to breed a cabbit. Although… now that I think about it… why not?

I kinda of want someone to explain to ME what the big deal is. I know everyone is pissed because they think they’ll be hard-pressed to find liberal venues in the area, or so some article said, but if someone wants to host a live sex show in my house, I don’t give a fuck and I think there are other people LIKE ME. No, you might not win, but you’ll get to network, and that’s something I usually only do for free wine and cheese.

AND people bitching about how ‘non-conservative’ pieces won’t win and that’s not fair is like saying, ‘The majority of people didn’t vote for McCain, but I WANTED HIM TO WIN and that’s not fair.’

Maybe later I will smoke pot and discover the real meaning of controversy. Someone aid me.

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-srd