Warner Norcross, Fifth Third Bank Expand ArtPrize Presence This Year

Sept. 2, 2011 - PRLog -- Grand Rapids, Michigan, September 1, 2011 – The law firm of Warner Norcross & Judd LLP and Fifth Third Bank will significantly expand their ArtPrize presence this year, adding an indoor venue and sponsoring the ArtPrize mobile app.

Warner Norcross and Fifth Third will sponsor 28 artists in and around their Grand Rapids headquarters at 111 Lyon Street NW, including four who work at the law firm or bank.  Artwork will include sculptures, photographs, mixed media, painting, fiber and other media, with 22 indoor installations and six outdoor installations.  This is the third year for the law firm and the bank to co-sponsor a venue, marking their biggest commitment to ArtPrize yet.

Additionally, Warner Norcross and Fifth Third are also sponsoring the ArtPrize app, which is available for download by iPhone and Android users.  The app makes it easy to vote for artists, as well as helps users locate venues, learn more about artists and keep track of their votes.

“Since it debuted in 2009, ArtPrize has been a phenomenon that has drawn our community together like no other single event,” said Douglas E. Wagner, managing partner of Warner Norcross. “We are pleased to partner with Fifth Third again this year and considerably expand our commitment to ArtPrize.  We are incredibly honored to host 28 artists from around the state and across the country, as well as co-sponsor the voting app.”

Michelle Van Dyke, president of Fifth Third Bank Michigan, noted:  “Throughout our support of ArtPrize, we have strived to connect with artists whose works are both thought provoking and visually appealing.  This year, with the help of Yolanda Gonzales, freelance illustrator and photographer, we have secured an incredible array of artwork that will make our facility a destination for ArtPrize viewers.  We are also pleased to partner with Warner Norcross in our third year of supporting this unique community event.”

Four of the 28 artists on display at 111 Lyon Street selected are employees of either Warner Norcross or Fifth Third Bank:
•   Christina Heyboer will show a photograph titled, “Ethiopian Beauty.” The color photograph, taken in 2009, features a nine-month-old girl in a beautiful Ethiopian dress surrounded by the lush green of nature. Heyboer, who is a senior accountant/analyst at the firm, specializes in children’s natural light portraiture.  This is her second entry into ArtPrize.
•   Richard Roane has combined his love of cooking into the photograph “Art Eat Live.” The 4x8 piece, created in 2011, is a collage of photos taken of meals he has eaten or prepared in the past year. Roane, who says he is more of a cook than in artist, is a divorce and family law partner with Warner Norcross. This is his first year participating in ArtPrize.
•   Susan Stoner will show a 3x3 photo-realistic digital painting entitled “Autumn Splendor.” Stoner, a legal secretary at Warner Norcross, discovered her artistic ability only a few years ago and has been showing and selling her work throughout Grand Rapids. This is her third year participating in ArtPrize.
•   Sharon Wollman is showing a work that will explore the process of the creation of bubbles. Wollman has created illustrations for two books by a Western Michigan University professor. She is a learning facilitator with Fifth Third Bank. This is her third year participating in ArtPrize.

Additional artists include:
•   Carlos Blanco is a South American artist whose two-dimensional piece “Don’t Forget” was created using 70,000 paper Post-it® notes. It spans 7 feet by 11 feet.
•   Michael Feehan, a Belmont, Mich. artist, will show a two-dimensional piece entitled “The American Stream,” which explores the consciousness of nations. Feehan has worked as a full time artist for the past seven years, showing throughout Grand Rapids. He currently has work that is part of the Warner Norcross collection.
•   Christopher Fox, a former Grand Rapids resident who will project messages on the floor, walls and ceiling in his three-dimensional work.  A self-professed “typographic instigator,” Williams will use written messaging and everyday materials to create an engaging and interactive exhibit.
•   Paul Jauw, a special needs artist with Downs syndrome, will show “Through My Eyes,” a multilayered sculptural piece expressing the youthful aspect of how he views the world. It is an intricate piece that he has been focused on developing following the death of his father.
•   Jacqueline Louise Wilson, a former Michigan resident, will be working on her outdoor piece for weeks, leading up to ArtPrize. She will construct a work entitled “Nebula: Growing Clay Graffiti,” a sort of living wall garden using clay, seeds, mica and other materials.  She will also be available during ArtPrize, and hosting multiple interactive seed ball making parties, including one scheduled for opening night.

Additional details on the Warner Norcross and Fifth Third artists can be found at http://www.facebook.com/ArtPrize53BankWarnerNorcrossJudd.

ArtPrize bills itself as a radically open art competition that gives away the world’s largest art prize.  Part arts festival and part social dialogue, ArtPrize winners are decided solely on a public vote.  ArtPrize opens Sept. 21 and runs through Oct. 9.

About Warner Norcross & Judd
Warner Norcross & Judd is a corporate law firm with more than 220 attorneys practicing in six offices throughout Michigan: Grand Rapids, Holland, Lansing, Muskegon, Southfield and Sterling Heights. By providing sound legal advice and alternative fee arrangements, Warner Norcross & Judd forges a better partnership with its clients. To learn more visit wnj.com or follow us on Twitter, @WNJLLP.

About Fifth Third
Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.  The Company has $111 billion in assets and operates 15 affiliates with 1,316 full-service Banking Centers, including 103 Bank Mart® locations open seven days a week inside select grocery stores and 2,456 ATMs in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Georgia and North Carolina. Fifth Third operates four main businesses: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending, and Investment Advisors. Fifth Third also has a 49% interest in Vantiv, LLC, formerly Fifth Third Processing Solutions, LLC. Fifth Third is among the largest money managers in the Midwest and, as of June 30, 2011, had $276 billion in assets under care, of which it managed $25 billion for individuals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Fifth Third's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ® Global Select Market under the symbol "FITB."

# # #

Sabo Public Relations is a full-service communications firm that provides media relations, employee communications, crisis management and litigation public relations to privately held and publicly traded companies.