Kevin Buist

Kevin Buist has been the Artistic Director at ArtPrize since its inception over 10 years ago. Over the years, I’ve had a front row seat and watched how Kevin seemingly effortlessly handled some of Artprize’s most passionate and vitriolic critics. These critics could be a noisy bunch over the years, and ArtPrize has successfully weathered a few controversies from time to time. The way in which Kevin is always searching to find ways to improve the organization when the criticism was the strongest was nothing short of admirable. I can definitely say that ArtPrize would not be as successful as it has been without his calm demeanor, constant curiosity and deep knowledge of contemporary art.

ArtPrize is now a biennial event, and this year it has morphed into something called “Project 1”, which can be seen across Grand Rapids from September 7 - October 27, 2019. Kevin has been at the forefront of planning this huge scale event encompassing three locations and five artists around the city. Kevin’s been at the forefront of recruiting artists and curating Project 1 under the theme of “Crossed Lines.” 

In this episode we dive deep into Kevin’s evolution at ArtPrize, what he’s learned about West Michigan over 10+ years at ArtPrize, why his favorite curator is also one who had one of the largest failures. We also cover “Crossed Lines” and all the commissioned artists exhibiting during the inaugural Project 1.

Visit Project 1 for more information.

This episode is sponsored by:

Metro Health | University of Michigan Health and Dr. Peter Hahn

Brian Kelly Photography & Film and Brian Kelly Productions