ArtPrize 2026 · Grand Rapids MI

Be A  Global  Citizen

Or just look like one.

Tap into three mystery stations. Watch the commercials. Collect your AI passport stamps. Then find out what's actually real — starting with our neighbors.

Event
ArtPrize 2026 — Sep 17–Oct 3
Location
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Venue
Kendall College of Art and Design
Woodbridge N. Ferris Building
17 Pearl St NW
By
Media Lab Midwest
Entry
Free & open to the public
Visitor Journey

Start here. End somewhere real.

A participatory installation using generative AI, NFC passports, and a live gallery screen. No app download. Bring your phone.

Step 01
Start Here

Passport Control

A Media Lab Midwest photographer-actor greets you at the entry station — passport control reimagined as a party. They take your portrait, just like a real passport photo.

Tap the NFC tag. Your photo loads into a secure digital passport on your own phone. Your journey begins.

Original photo transformed into an AI-rendered passport scene
No app· No login· Bring your phone
Steps 02–03
The Tour

Three mystery stations.

At each station, tap the card — you won't know which country it is until it happens. A real corporate commercial plays while PrismaLive composites you into the scene. When it ends, your stamp arrives.

No flags to choose from. The system decides which of nine countries you land in — the same way an algorithm once decided what "the world" looked like on your screen, without ever asking you.

Every stamp is yours to keep — a beautiful AI-generated souvenir of the world tour you were sold.

The full roster — what you might get
🇯🇵JapanToyota
🇮🇳IndiaHindustan Unilever
🇨🇴ColombiaPostobón
🇫🇷FranceL'Oréal
🇰🇪KenyaSafaricom
🇸🇦Saudi ArabiaSaudi Telecom
🇨🇳ChinaAlibaba
🇺🇸United StatesBudweiser
🇧🇷BrazilSponsor tbd
Step 04
View Results

The live gallery screen.

Every AI transformation displays in real time on a large central screen — a constantly updating gallery of Grand Rapids residents placed inside the world.

Visible from beyond the installation walls, the screen draws in new visitors through the spectacle of others being transformed. The piece recruits itself.

Powered by PrismaLive · Aaron Sundman

🌍

Congratulations,
Global Citizen.

Aaron's real ArtPrize Global Citizen passport — Japan stamp Ritsu's real ArtPrize Global Citizen passport — Colombia stamp

You just toured the globe — inside a cherry blossom festival, a Bollywood dance, at the Eiffel Tower at night. Without ever leaving an art gallery in Grand Rapids!

Now we invite you to be a LOCAL CITIZEN.

See the Local Passport ↓
The Local Passport

Grand Rapids is the real trip.

See the nine businesses below — all owned and operated by real Grand Rapidians, all within walking distance of KCAD.

WanderStamp is the app that holds your local passport. Tap the NFC card at any business below to collect a stamp — no purchase required.
Lantern Coffee Bar and Lounge
Jon Bailey & Steve Wiltjer
100 Commerce Ave SW
Morning Ritual Coffee Bar
Alyx & Adam Voss
150 Ottawa Ave NW
Sugar Bar
Melissa VandenBerg
132 Monroe Center St NW
🍽️
Littlebird
Sarah Wepman
95 Monroe Center St NW
🍽️
Garden District
Raphael & Jessica Jones
55 Monroe Center St NW
🍽️
San Chez Bistro
Dan & Cindy Schneider
38 Fulton St W
👗
Courage & Soar
Kayla & Alex Benda
40 Monroe Center St NW
👗
Second Vibess
Camille Steverson & Kaitlynn Fitzpatrick
13 Division Ave S
👗
Boutique Emmanuel
Sarah Knapp
220 Lyon St NW

Visit these locations, get a stamp, say hello to your neighbors. They're investing in your community — not in corporate ads that sell you things you don't really need.

About

Media Lab Midwest

Ritsu Katsumata and Aaron Sundman form a Grand Rapids-based creative technology collaborative whose work sits at the intersection of generative AI, human experience design, and civic engagement.

Co-Founder · Chief Experience Officer
Ritsu Katsumata

Japanese-American sound artist and experience designer. Carnegie Hall to CBGB's — scoring silent films, building immersive installations, designing human-centered digital experiences across Dentsu, Wieden+Kennedy, Cornell University, and Ford Motor Company.

Co-Founder · Chief Technology Officer
Aaron Sundman

Technology evangelist with 30 years in enterprise digital innovation. RFID Business Development Leader at CCL eAgile. Creator of the PrismaLive AI platform.

Contact

Get in touch.

Email
ritsu@ritsu.com
Collaborative
medialabmidwest.com
Event Details

ArtPrize 2026

Date/Location
Sep 17 – Oct 3, 2026
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Venue
Kendall College of Art and Design
Woodbridge N. Ferris Building
17 Pearl St NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Admission
Free & open to the public