Now we’re getting a multi-week artists’ tournament, opening this weekend at an arts store and continuing later at bars and restaurants, with an ultimate cash prize of $1,000 or more.
The Lehigh Valley’s iDreamMachine marketing company is the promoter behind the arts mayhem, which comes to Philly after a successful launch in and around Easton, where the company is located. “It’s a way to get artists out of the studio and showcase their creative process as a form of entertainment,” said Ryan Walsh, a producer at iDreamMachine and a member of the Art Wars planning team.
The throw down and subsequent rounds are free to attend, but if you’re interested in casting a vote for an artist, ballots are $5. The cash from ballots in the preliminary throw down goes toward raising the top prize for the competition above $1,000. Ballot cash in the subsequent rounds goes in part to the competitors from that round and in part toward the grand-prize kitty. So, artists: It’s worth getting a crew together to vote for you.
Think of it like a sporting event meets behind-the-scenes exhibition, presenting a side of the artistic process seldom seen. Typically, “you only see the outcome of what an artist does, you don’t see the process behind it,” Walsh said.
The artists with the highest vote count at the end of the throw down move on to the first battle round, where four creators at a time will battle in another timed event. The victors move on to the next round.
The goal, ultimately, is to bring together artists and a community that might not typically admire art into a shared space to view the creative process from idea to completion.
“We know there are so many artists that are constantly doing work and looking for opportunities to get their work shown,” Walsh said. “We feel it’s one of the best way to get your artwork in front of your audience who may have little to no appreciation for what goes into creating a piece of art.”
All of the artwork from the 16 finalists’ first-round battles will be auctioned off at a wrap party, with 75 percent of the sales price going to the artist.
ART WARS
Preliminary Throw Down
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2 p.m. Saturday at Blick Arts Materials, 1330 Chestnut St. Free to attend and to compete (if you’ve registered), $5 to vote. Artists are required to bring their own art supplies, a 4’x4’ drop cloth, an easel or table, and a substrate to create on. Details at the Philly Art Wars Throw Down Facebook page.