ArtPrize is hosting the public premier of the seventh season of a PBS series focused on contemporary art tonight.

Today (Thursday, Oct. 2) is the ninth day of the 19-day public art exhibition, which runs through Oct. 12 in Grand Rapids.

At this point, ArtPrize's 20 juried finalists are in and the public vote continues with first-round voting running through 11:59 p.m. Saturday.

The current public top 25 in each of ArtPrize's four award categories -- two-dimensional, three-dimensional, time-based and installation -- also have been made available. More than 230,000 votes had been cast as of 8 a.m. today in first-round public voting, according to ArtPrize's vote tabulations. The final 20 announcement is Sunday.

The public voting helps determine a $200,000 grand prize winner, with another $200,000 grand prize selected from the jurors' shortlists.

Today's Big Event

ArtPrize is partnering this year with Art21, a nonprofit organization with the mission of raising contemporary art awareness.

Tonight at 7 p.m. at The ArtPrize Hub, 41 Sheldon Blvd. SE, the ArtPrize 2014 grand prize jurors assembled by Art21 offer a season seven preview of "Art in the Twenty-First Century" with a screening. The show's seventh season premieres Oct. 24 on PBS.

The event also includes a conversation with Art21 Executive Director Susan Sollins and "Art in the Twenty-First Century" season seven featured artists Katharina Grosse and Leonardo Drew. Both Grosse and Drew are ArtPrize jurors.

This year's $200,000 juried grand prize, being presented by Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University, equals the $200,000 public vote grand prize for the first time in ArtPrize's six-year run.

The juried grand prize, being awarded Oct. 10, is going to one of the 20 finalists selected by jurors in four categories: two-dimensional, three-dimensional, time-based and installation.

In addition, Art21 has partnered with ArtPrize on two other initiatives. The inaugural Art21 Young Filmmakers Award has been focused on local high school student filmmakers. The Art21 Michael C. Sandler Educators Program is being done in cooperation with the Grand Rapids Art Museum and PBS Grand Rapids affiliate WGVU Public Media, and provided two free weekend educational workshops based on "Art in the Twenty-First Century" seventh season teaching guides.

Today's Thing to Do

Taste of Monroe North in the Monroe Avenue NW neighborhood north of Interstate 196 on the northern portion of downtown Grand Rapids is 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. tonight.

Locations for the event, coordinated by Monroe North Business Association, include SpeakEZ Lounge, 600 Monroe Avenue NW; Rocky's Bar & Grill, 633 Ottawa Avenue NW; JD Reardon's Bar & Grill, 940 Monroe Avenue NW; and Skywalk Deli & Catering Co., 940 Monroe Avenue NW in Boardwalk Condominiums.

There is also music by Mary McGuire and desserts by Pinkie's Ice Cream & Desserts at Monroe Community Church, 800 Monroe Avenue NW. The church is an ArtPrize venue.

Free tickets are being distributed via social media. Get more details on Monroe North Business Association's website or Facebook page.

Retweetable ArtPrize Tweets

Interesting ArtPrize Instagrams

PBS-TV's 'Art in the Twenty-First Century'

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