#ArtPrize9 sculpture highlights Flint water crisis, racism

MLIVE - GRAND RAPIDS
By Cole Waterman
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GRAND RAPIDS -- If a function of art is to reflect society's failings, a sure-to-be-controversial exhibit of this year's ArtPrize fits the bill. Succinctly titled "Flint," the sculpture piece consists of a drinking fountain with yellow water arching from the spigot. A brick wall above it bears the word "Colored," harkening back to the days of segregation. The work is the creation of activist-artist Ti-Rock Moore. It is being presented by Fountain Street Church, 24 St. NE in Grand Rapids, for the ninth year of the massive art competition. This marks the first time the work has been displayed in Michigan, "just two hours away from the city of Flint, whose drinking water has been contaminated since 2014 due to ill-conceived cost-saving measures," the church stated in a press release. [More]
"Flint" by Ti-Rock Moore