ArtPrize sculptor Andrés Bustamante hosted a free, public Mind Sculpt event on Sept. 23, in which attendees were invited to create their own sculptures. Bustamante’s giant aluminum sculpture, “Palabras De Esperanza. Words of Hope” took home the 2024 Artist-to-Artist award.
Bustamante hosted the event at ArtRat Gallery, where participants were asked to record a message to their younger selves, and then sketch an abstract design that reflected what they wrote. Bustamante helped them create their paper design into sculptures they could take home and reflect on.
ArtPrize artists Rob Patterson (“Lost Hope”) and Carissa Buursma (“Grieving”) attended the Mind Sculpt event together in an effort to support other creatives involved in the competition. Patterson and Buursma applauded Bustamante’s workshop event and sculpture for the value they brought to the community and those in attendance.
“(Mind Sculpt) was really beautiful,” Buursma said. “I’m so glad we came. The ambiance (and) what (Bustamante) was having us talk and think about (was wonderful).”
Patterson agreed, adding that events such as these aid in artistic expression.
“It’s kind of cool to be a little vulnerable in front of other people,” Patterson said.
“Palabras De Esperanza. Words of Hope,” was installed at Pekich Park, and brought interactive inspiration and encouragement to the Grand Rapids community. While most ArtPrize exhibits ask viewers not to touch the art, Bustamante’s installation invited viewers to write on the sculpture’s surface with a message to their younger selves. Similar to the Mind Sculpt event, his installation also included sculpture kits and a take-home journal for participants to record their thoughts and sketches. The intentionally interactive nature of Bustamante’s sculpture allowed him to meet and interact with many different people, which he said adds to his inspiration as an artist.
“I’ve met so many wonderful people that just wanted to share their wisdom,” Bustamante said. “People from different cultures, (with) different ages (and) from different nationalities. I’ve had people write (on the sculpture) in Korean, Spanish, Catalan, Arabic, German and Vietnamese.”
Bustamante said he hoped his sculpture could be used as a tool for people from all walks of life to come together as a community.
“(I asked myself) how can art become a tool for community growth (and) evolution instead of just, ‘Hey, look at me, I have art,’” Bustamante said.
Bustamante, who came from a background in street art, said he got in trouble as a teenager for graffiti. Bustamante grew to realize he wanted to professionally pursue art, and inspire others in that regard.
“I realized that if I kept getting in and out of trouble, that wouldn’t be the right path for me,” Bustamante said. “If I could use art as a catalyst for change and transformation, then life would be really beautiful.”
Bustamante emphasized that his ArtPrize sculpture was intent on showcasing raw forms of human emotion.
“(Palabras De Esperanza. Words of Hope) was birthed from a place of wanting to explore the abstraction in human emotion, which is usually what my sculptures talk about,” Bustamante said.
With this being his first year participating in ArtPrize, Bustamante said he was drawn to the event because of its mission statement of radical inclusion. He said this goal aligns with why he creates art.
“How can a work of art be radically inclusive?” Bustamante said. “I had to dig really deep, and wanted to create a sculpture that was reflective (of that).”
Bustamante said that the yearly ArtPrize competition has greatly impacted the Grand Rapids community by providing artists with a platform for their artistic voices.
“Artprize is wonderful,” Bustamante said. “It’s a catalyst for creativity. Any time you can nurture the arts, culture and creativity, you’re creating opportunities for people to grow and heal, and for communities to be empowered.”
