Five Artists Will Compete During ArtPrize Phoenix Pitch Night

Five artists will be competing during Phoenix Pitch Night for ArtPrize, an international arts competition launched in 2009.

The artists are Saskia Jorda, Nathaniel Lewis, Ronna Nemitz, Craig Randich, and Bobby Zokaites. They’re all based in metro Phoenix.

ArtPrize is an annual, multiday public art event founded in 2009 by Rick DeVos, son of U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

This year's ArtPrize runs from Wednesday, September 19, to Sunday, October 7. It takes place at multiple venues in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

ArtPrize is holding pitch nights in several cities, including Cincinnati, Detroit, Phoenix, Nashville, and New Orleans.

Phoenix Pitch Night happens on Tuesday, May 22, at Found:RE Phoenix.

Each artist will be presenting proposals before a panel of five judges, who will determine the winning pitch.

Both judges and audience members will be able to ask the artists about their proposed artworks. The five artists were selected after an open call for proposals.

The Phoenix Pitch Night winner will receive $5,000 to support the creation of work to be shown at Grand Rapids Art Museum during ArtPrize 10.

The judges for Phoenix Pitch Night include Sara Cochran, former director and chief curator at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art; Patty Haberman, chief curator for Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum; Julio Cesar Morales, curator for ASU Art Museum; Rebecca Rothman, director of public art for the city of Tempe; and Jennifer Wcisel, curatorial assistant with the Grand Rapids Art Museum.

There's also a Phoenix version of ArtPrize in the works. Organizer Dan Packard will be sharing information about that event during Phoenix Pitch Night.

ArtPrize Phoenix Pitch Night takes place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 22, at Found:RE Phoenix. It's free and open to the public. Get details on the ArtPrize website.