Fort Bragg native competes at ArtPrize Eight September 21-October 9, 2016 in Grand Rapids, Michigan

FORT BRAGG, Calif. - July 7, 2016 - PRLog -- Ken Newman, was an early featured artist in the Mendocino Whale Festival with his wood wildlife carvings, flash forward 30 years and guess who is vying for $500,000 at 2016 ArtPrize, an international art competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Who could have imagined that Newman, a 1974 high school graduate and athlete who worked in the woods to pay for college, became a custom home contractor in the Truckee/Tahoe area and then found his passion in sculpting would be competing at this level.

Ken Newman is a nationally recognized sculptor and now lives in Idaho. His ArtPrize entry "The Last Whistle" a larger than life bronze figurative sculpture will compete against 1554 artists representing 44 countries and 40 US states with a total of 1453 unique art entries. There are four artwork categories; 2-D, 3-D, Installation and Time-Based, displayed in 172 venues across the three-square mile ArtPrize District.

"The Last Whistle" represents the iconic Blue Collar labor force of rural company towns to urban life in the United States. Symbolizing generations of men who were instrumental in building the wealth and greatness of America. Somewhat minimalized "The Last Whistle" celebrates the importance of all people; from coal mines to steel mills to Michigan's unparalleled industrial manufacturing, these were the people and industries who were the building blocks of American values and society. For Ken it hits closer to home. As the last whistle blew in Fort Bragg, the sculpture captures the narrowing of the logging industry and his memories of men of this generation.

The sculpture is currently being cast at a full-service fine art foundry and is undergoing the complicated and labor intensive molding and lost-wax casting process to bronze.

Ken will escort the 800+lb. bronze to Michigan in September and is currently raising funds to transport, install, promote and attend the competition at https://www.crowdrise.com/transport-the-last-whistle-to-artprize8 . The effort is sponsored by ArtPrize, CrowdRise and the Michigan Lottery.

The larger than life bronze sculpture will be installed outdoors in the Fifth Third Bank Plaza near the corner of Monroe and Lyon in downtown Grand Rapids.

For 19 days, from September 21-October 9, 400,000 attendees descend upon three square miles of downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan where anyone can find a voice in the conversation about what is art? And why it matters. Art from around the world pops up in over 170 downtown venues-museums, galleries, bars, restaurants, theaters, hotels, public parks, lobbies, buildings, walls, bridges, laundromats, and auto body shops-and it's all free and open to the public.

During ArtPrize numerous activities including presentations by Ken Newman will take place in Grand Rapids to promote "The Last Whistle", encouraging the public and jurors to take a closer look, explore and reflect on the often minimalized Blue Collar worker. Visitors will be encouraged to share their thoughts by using their five senses and smartphones.

The voting process for over $500,000 in awards in complicated. The jurors top 20 finalist in each category are announced on September 26^th. The People Choice first round voting runs through October 1^st, the field is narrowed down to 20 finalists in each category and Round 2 public voting closes on November 6^th. Both the $200,000 People Choice and $200,000 Jury Award winners are announced on November 7^th, along with other cash awards. ArtPrize 2016 closes on Sunday, October 9^th.

When not sculpting in Idaho or traveling the US, Ken can be found spending time with family in Fort Bragg. Visit his website www.kennewmansculptures.com  to learn about upcoming California shows in Truckee and Palo Alto. If you are on the east coast this fall head over to Easton, Marylandwhere he is a favorite at The Waterfowl Festival.

Upcoming museum exhibitions featuring Ken Newman's sculptures include; The Loveland Art Museum in Colorado, the 83rd National Sculptors Society Award Exhibition at Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina and the 56^th Art and the Animal at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences in Texas.

For more details on ArtPrize visit www.artprize.org