The Arbitrary Art Grant

When I lived in Seattle I witnessed the inception of an innovative arts organization called Vital 5 Productions which provided a forum for artists that lacked pretension and boasted coolness and alternative ways of enjoying art. My personal favorite show back in the early days was The Overdrawn Show where any person was invited to donate artwork and any person was invited to take home a donated art piece provided they could produce an overdraft statement from their bank. The notion that everyone is an artist has always been integral to the mission of Vital 5 Productions, and through projects like Artists for a Work Free America the group challenges existing notions of high art and the free market economy.

Vital 5's most recent project, The Arbitrary Art Grant has me really excited. The submission process is easy, there is no fee to apply, and anyone can enter as long as they have access to a camera and the Internet. Simply be resourceful and creative and you may arbitrarily win $500. Even if you don't win the money it's neat to participate in something on this grand scale.

Here's what Greg Lundgren, founder of Vital 5 Productions writes:
This is open to any one who can get their ass into a grocery store with a camera. $500.00 will be awarded to one person who builds a sculpture inside of a steel grocery cart, created only from the stores inventory. Email us a picture of your sculpture on or before May 15th, 2009, and on May 30th we will arbitrarily pick a winner and give them $500.00. All entries will be documented and exhibited at this year's Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle, but this grant is open to all people in all countries. Please feel free to forward this to other people- the more the merrier. Good luck, and stay tuned for future grants in Music, Dance, Writing and a variety of other mediums.
send entries to info@vital5productions.com