GRAND RAPIDS (WKZO AM/FM) — To some it may just look like a sculpture of a giant white steel bike, no rider, and 5 red flowers, but to the Kalamazoo community, it means so much more.
Artist Kathy Kreager, a former Richland resident, says the 6-by-11 foot “ghost bike” is a tribute to the victims of the Kalamazoo bike tragedy back in 2016.
The piece is called “Five” and it’s now on display outside the First Congregational Church in Grand Rapids for this year’s ArtPrize competition.
Kreager said she knew some of the victims and would find herself dreaming about them after the tragic incident.
So she decided to do something about it by honoring the victims with her ArtPrize entry.
The 5 vibrant red flowers represent the “5 vibrant lives that were lost on that day,” according to Kreager.
She also hopes it will bring awareness to bike safety and remind residents to never drive drunk or drugged.
ArtPrize 10 runs from September 19th until October 7th in downtown Grand Rapids and attendees can vote for her piece at artprize.org.
ArtPrize is one of the biggest art competitions in the world with over 1400 artists, over 1200 entries, and around 165 venues around the Grand Rapids area.
$500,000 in prize money is handed out to the winners of the competition.
