OnTheCusp.org

Art vs. Art, It's Not Too Late

Love it or hate it, come September 7th, some art is going to get the destroyed. Primary Colours and Groove Truck Productions has been hosting their event Art vs. Art for a number of years now, though this year they have expanded the event to take place not only in Indianapolis but in Cincinnati, Columbus, and Louisville. For those who are unfamiliar with Art vs. Art, in short, it is a painting competition/auction with a twist. For a full description of the rules of Art vs. Art look at this link. The meat of the event is best left in the words of their summary,

Art vs. Art is a single elimination tournament.

The judging process or “bouts” pit two painting head-to-head for the audience to judge. Two paintings (from the top 16) will be randomly selected for each “bout.”

The audience will decide by applause, noise and cheers, which of the two painting will advance to the next round base solely on noise/sound level. Primary Colours will provide noisemakers at the event. A digital decibel meter will gauge the sound level (which measures to the tenth of a decibel). The painting that receives the highest decibel reading wins the "bout" and advances to the next round of judging. The sound meter readout will be clearly visible to the audience and projected onto a screen.

There are a total of four judging rounds. Round one has 8 “bouts” and narrows down the field of 16 paintings to 8. Round two will narrow the field from 8 paintings to 4. Round three has two “bouts” and pares down the final 4 paintings to the final two. Round four is just one “bout” for the winner-take-all championship.

IMPORTANT: “Bout” winners advance to the next round of judging. Losing paintings face the possibility of destruction. Losing paintings are subject to a spin of The Wheel of Death that will determine a mode of destruction (chain saw, baseball bat, grinder, chipper-shredder, etc.). Modes of destruction may vary, but paintings will be annihilated.

Once a mode of destruction is determined, a painting can be saved only if someone from the audience is willing to purchase the painting. Sale will be determined by an auction, beginning with a minimum purchase price for each round: $150 in Round One, $250 in Round Two, $350 in Round Three, $450 in Round Four. All transactions (cash or credit card) must take place immediately following the sale. Otherwise, the painting will be destroyed. Cash, Visa, or MasterCard are accepted only.

MORE IMPORTANT: One mode of destruction on the Wheel of Death is "Instant Death." Upon spinning the Wheel, if it comes to a stop on the "Instant Death" section, there is no way to save the painting from destruction. No auction will take place, and the painting is subject to destruction on the spot.

Did that grab your attention? If so, head on over to their web site and vote for your favorite paintings and see if they make the top 16. Voting will continue on into Thursday, September 6th. So do not hesitate, or else the work you like may face certain doom. Who will win the grand prize of $2500? Head to Fountain Square Theater Friday night and find out in person.