A special thank you…
See Wing and a Prayer at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
Vote 55278
During the radio interview, Shelley Irwin made mention of the television show later on September 19. I was invited as an “Ask the ArtPrize Artist” guest on the WGVU television show.
Yesterday I was interviewed with Joe from Hope Network on the Shelley Irwin Morning Show about the Wing and a Prayer exhibit at ArtPrize 2013.
ArtPrize 2013 Wing and a Prayer mini displays at Macy’s and Barnes & Noble of Rivertown.
See the complete exhibit of Wing and a Prayer at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel.
Last winter after Christmas, I bought up all the Christmas ornament hooks in Grandville; after I purchased 20,000 ornament hooks, Target, Meijer, and Michaels were cleaned out.
Meanwhile, several high school students from Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo started folding the paper birds. I even mailed supplies to one student in Fresno, California. While at a restaurant, one of my girlfriends started talking to her waiter about my ArtPrize work. Surprisingly, the waiter offered to help fold paper cranes too. A few weeks later my girlfriend delivered 250 paper birds.
Although most of the birds were finished by July, the tedious work of hanging the birds on the nets still lay ahead. Time was bearing down; I wondered if I was going to be able to finish hanging all the paper birds before ArtPrize. Several girlfriends, their children, and friends of friends—people I didn’t even know—volunteered to help.
Without wasting any time, several friends gathered at my home. Some moms worked at a table stringing hundreds of birds; other moms and children hand tied the paper birds to nets.
A few hours later, we had to stop and form a back rub train to help ease our aching muscles. After about six hours of non-stop working, we all realized that a lot more effort was needed to fill all ten sections of netting. So we decided to meet again.
Another friend gathered a group of children to string several hundred birds to double up our efforts at her house. One dad ended up sitting down with his kids to help. A grandmother even offered to babysit to help the process flow more smoothly.
Several days later when all the birds were finally hung on the nets, exhausted moms and kids cheered. Though tired, we all felt a strong sense of community like the old quilting bees or Amish barn-raising events.
The children may have worked harder than the adults, but better yet, the intergenerational bonds of friendship had strengthened. Everyone felt excited to be a part of ArtPrize. That my friends wanted to help me succeed and be a part of the artistic process moved me deeply. In the end, thirty volunteers worked 630 hours to help Wing and a Prayer take flight.
I’m so thankful for the dedication and generous support for everyone who helped Wing and a Prayer take flight. Over thirty friends and friends of friends volunteered 630 hours to help assemble almost 4,000 origami paper birds. Families within Hope Network shared stories and models posed for the artwork. Wing and a Prayer also invites ArtPrize visitors to participate in the artistic process.
ArtPrize is the world’s largest open art competition since 2009. For 19 days, the Grand Rapids downtown area changes into an art venue while public-based voting decides the winner. This unique event involves local and international artists, art, and the active participation of the community.
Wing and a Prayer
Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
September 18 through October 6
Celebrating the children within 
Young Sadako was diagnosed with leukemia after the 1945 atom bomb destroyed Hiroshima. Although Sadako loved to run, she was soon too weak. An ancient Japanese legend states that by folding a thousand paper cranes one’s wish for health would be granted. So Sadako began folding cranes.
Sadako didn’t finish folding all the birds before she died. But because of Sadako’s tenacity for life, her classmates completed the cranes, and her father placed the thousand paper cranes in her casket. Since then, Sadako’s hope has inspired other children around the world to soar above adversity.
Wing and a Prayer also invites viewers to respond by hanging a wish or a prayer on the wall for a child. Like the draft under a bird’s wing, each wish or prayer uplifts a child in need—whether the challenge is physical, mental, or emotional. As the notes rise up the wall, they transform into thousands of paper birds and give hope wings.
Find out more on my ArtPrize 2013: Wing and a Prayer page
Note: Models and pseudonyms have been used.