Twenty-eight artists from the Upper Peninsula will be exhibiting at a new U.P. Pavilion this year at the annual ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, a community-wide international art competition.

Pasqua Warstler at the Bonifas Arts Center says the U.P. artists will be on display at the DeVos Place Convention Center.

“We were happy to work with the DeVos Place and working with other arts organizations to encourage our artists to submit. For many of them it’s a new opportunity. Some of them are familiar with ArtPrize. Now, we are on the road to ArtPrize,” Warstler said during a press conference Wednesday at the Bonifas.

Tina Harris with the city of Marquette’s Arts and Culture Center says to sustain, grow and preserve our arts and culture heritage the U.P. has to work together.

“The U.P. Art Pavilion at Devos Place is the first of many of these initiatives as we develop this arts and culture alliance across the U.P., which is just at its beginning stages with this effort,” said Harris.

Tom Nemacheck with the U.P. Travel & Recreation Association says he hopes the group of U.P. artists will encourage people to visit the Upper Peninsula.

“This group offers an exceptional product that we don’t really do a great job — I guess I could say ‘exploiting’ — a great job of exploiting what those opportunities are,” he said.

Scott Leipski of Gladstone was one of those artists chosen to display at the U.P. Pavilion. He calls the opportunity remarkable.

“I think it’s wonderful that we have finally found a way to focus those creative efforts in a national and international venue,” he said.

Here are the list of artists chosen to display at the U.P. Pavilion:

Phyllis Carlson, Quinnesec
Kathleen Conover, Marquette
Martha Fieber, Manistique
Michael Friend, Marquette
Gordon Gearhart, Marquette
Marc Himes, Negaunee
John Hubbard, Gwinn
Carol Irving, Escanaba
Brian Kakas, Marquette
Jim Krausman, Gwinn
Scott Leipski, Gladstone
Mara Manning, Escanaba
Toni Mendina, Iron Mountain
Eric Munch, Calumet
Michael Olson, Escanaba
Bernie Park, Marquette
Mary Penet, Gladstone
Ted Ross, Marquette
Jim Rutledge, Engadine
Peg Sandin, Ironwood
Earl Senchuk, Marquette
Carl Terhaar
Tim Trombly, Chatham
Steve Uren, Gwinn
Cindy Wedig Gwinn
Dale Wedig, Gwinn
Michael Willard
Marv Zehnder, Marquette

Following the show in Grand Rapids, the artwork will be brought back to the U.P. to be put on display at the Bonifas.

U.P. artists have been a part of ArtPrize over the years. In all, 36 artists have been accepted for the competition. This is the first time that a group of artists from the U.P. can be found in one location.

Also at the press conference, Bonifas Business Director Sue Roll unveiled a new version of the Upper Peninsula Art and Culture map website that is available for travelers in the U.P. to find arts and culture locations throughout the U.P. It includes the Upper Peninsula Art and Culture Faceback group where galleries and museums can promote themselves and their activities to those interested.