The Controversy Surrounding Grand Rapids’ 175th Anniversary Poster Contest

Earlier this year, the city of Grand Rapids held its 175th anniversary party at Rosa Parks Circle, a day full of music, fun, and games. Honorary banners have been displayed throughout the city all year long.

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A special mobile exhibit, "175 pictures for 175 years," has been showcased in multiple buildings throughout the summer. Local breweries have created limited-edition anniversary beers, and videographers have been capturing the celebrations to produce a special birthday video.

The final event, an open call for artists to submit their poster designs based on the prompt "What does Grand Rapids mean to you?" concluded earlier this week. After reviewing all the submissions, three designs were selected, and it was up to the public to decide who would win the $3,000 grand prize.

Poster Contest Controversy

However, this announcement was immediately met with scrutiny as viewers were quick to point out that the second entry, "Scenes from the City" by Jack Markosky, appeared to be heavily created using AI. Many commenters on the Instagram post were frustrated that, in a city with an abundance of art and artists, wholly original and handmade entries were overlooked in favor of what is believed by many to be AI-made art.

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It should also be noted that last year, the ArtPrize Committee made a solid stance against allowing art created using AI, stating that prizes would only be awarded to human artists. The Art Advisory Council's decision to deem this poster acceptable for the competition rubbed people the wrong way.

The City Responds

In an updated post yesterday, the city reaffirmed the validity of the entry, stating it "spoke to the artist about his process and confirmed the work is a digital composition, produced with Photoshop," and appreciated the feedback and conversation that has taken place as a result of this. Once again, many were disappointed with this response, with some questioning what lengths they went to validate his claims.

All this culminated in an update this morning that Jack Markosky had decided to remove his art from prize contention, stating:

While the entry met the standards outlined in the competition rules, the artist felt the ongoing discussions were a distraction from the celebration of the city’s 175th Anniversary.

The City put it perfectly that "this experience has highlighted the complexities regarding the use of evolving technology in creative fields." While many are glad to see this piece is no longer in contention, some are dismayed that it was the artist, not the city, that took the piece out of the competition.

The competition will now feature "Blueprint" by Steve Wammack and "Primary Grand Rapids" by Sarah Aldrich. You can read the artists' statements and vote for the winner here, with voting ending on September 5th. While this has put a bit of a sour note on the 175th anniversary celebration, overall, the various festivities have been a fun way to celebrate the city.