October 17, 2016
ArtPrize 8 Entry Donated to the Gilmore Car Museum
“MOM’S FAVORITE CAR” GIVEN TO CAR MUSEUM ON HER 90TH BIRTHDAY
Artist Paula Blinco Collins, best known for her more than 200 bas-relief brick sculptures on display throughout the country, has donated her recent 2016 ArtPrize competition entry, “Mom’s Favorite Car,” to the Gilmore Car Museum.
“It’s a 1940 Pontiac that will never rust”, explained Collins.
That’s because her entry is a life-sized recreation of a car made entirely out of brick—12,000 pounds of brick—which is nearly four times the weight of an actual 1940 Pontiac.
Collins, a freelance sculptor from Denton, Texas, joined 1452 other artists from around the world in entering the 8th annual ArtPrize competition held at various venues throughout Grand Rapids, MI. A total of $500,000 in prize money was up for grabs in what is described as a “radically open” international art competition. Winners are decided by both public votes and an expert jury.
The Art Newspaper describes ArtPrize as the most attended public art event in the world and the organization’s website shows that more than 380,000 public votes were cast this year. Collins’ unique brick automobile ranked fifth in this year’s three-dimensional entries.
Collins’ work includes commissions to create bas-relief brick sculptures throughout the United States including a soccer venue in Atlanta for the 1996 Summer Olympics, a history sharing mural at the Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center, and a life-size tree inside Oklahoma City’s tallest building to name a few.
The stand-alone brick sculpture “Mom’s Favorite Car,” was created by Collins in honor of the first car her mother Aileene road in: a 1940 Pontiac. Following its exhibit during ArtPrize in Grand Rapids the brick car was donated to the Gilmore Car Museum, located about 45 minutes south in Hickory Corners. It was fitting that the gift to the Museum arrived on Monday, October 10th: Collins’ mother’s 90th birthday, who was able to see it in Grand Rapids.
Collins was very familiar with the Gilmore Car Museum as she spent her “wonder years in Michigan” and said, “this pays homage to my family, my life and the sculptural beauty of the transportation created in the day.”
Michael Spezia, Executive Director of the Museum, said, “We were ecstatic to receive such a unique piece of art that was part of the world-renowned ArtPrize competition.”
He continued that he is certain it will become a focal point of the Museum’s 90-acre campus. The Gilmore Car Museum—North America’s largest auto museum—is located just 20 minutes northeast of Kalamazoo on M-43 and Hickory Road. To learn more about the Gilmore Car Museum visit: www.GilmoreCarMuseum.org or call the Museum at 269-671-5089.
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Photos attached – show the 12,000 pound brick sculpture of a 1940 Pontiac after it arrived at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, MI from distinguished ArtPrize competition. The museum will pour a concert pad to permanently display the work by artist Paula Blinco Collins.
Please credit: Gilmore Car Museum
Artist Paula Blinco Collins, best known for her more than 200 bas-relief brick sculptures on display throughout the country, has donated her recent 2016 ArtPrize competition entry, “Mom’s Favorite Car,” to the Gilmore Car Museum.
“It’s a 1940 Pontiac that will never rust”, explained Collins.
That’s because her entry is a life-sized recreation of a car made entirely out of brick—12,000 pounds of brick—which is nearly four times the weight of an actual 1940 Pontiac.
Collins, a freelance sculptor from Denton, Texas, joined 1452 other artists from around the world in entering the 8th annual ArtPrize competition held at various venues throughout Grand Rapids, MI. A total of $500,000 in prize money was up for grabs in what is described as a “radically open” international art competition. Winners are decided by both public votes and an expert jury.
The Art Newspaper describes ArtPrize as the most attended public art event in the world and the organization’s website shows that more than 380,000 public votes were cast this year. Collins’ unique brick automobile ranked fifth in this year’s three-dimensional entries.
Collins’ work includes commissions to create bas-relief brick sculptures throughout the United States including a soccer venue in Atlanta for the 1996 Summer Olympics, a history sharing mural at the Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center, and a life-size tree inside Oklahoma City’s tallest building to name a few.
The stand-alone brick sculpture “Mom’s Favorite Car,” was created by Collins in honor of the first car her mother Aileene road in: a 1940 Pontiac. Following its exhibit during ArtPrize in Grand Rapids the brick car was donated to the Gilmore Car Museum, located about 45 minutes south in Hickory Corners. It was fitting that the gift to the Museum arrived on Monday, October 10th: Collins’ mother’s 90th birthday, who was able to see it in Grand Rapids.
Collins was very familiar with the Gilmore Car Museum as she spent her “wonder years in Michigan” and said, “this pays homage to my family, my life and the sculptural beauty of the transportation created in the day.”
Michael Spezia, Executive Director of the Museum, said, “We were ecstatic to receive such a unique piece of art that was part of the world-renowned ArtPrize competition.”
He continued that he is certain it will become a focal point of the Museum’s 90-acre campus. The Gilmore Car Museum—North America’s largest auto museum—is located just 20 minutes northeast of Kalamazoo on M-43 and Hickory Road. To learn more about the Gilmore Car Museum visit: www.GilmoreCarMuseum.org or call the Museum at 269-671-5089.
# # #
Photos attached – show the 12,000 pound brick sculpture of a 1940 Pontiac after it arrived at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, MI from distinguished ArtPrize competition. The museum will pour a concert pad to permanently display the work by artist Paula Blinco Collins.
Please credit: Gilmore Car Museum