We have an ArtPrize home.
State of Stick will install 50 States. 250 Years. at Old World Olive Co.’s Downtown Monroe Center store in Grand Rapids.
The invitation means more than securing a wall. It gives the project a public-facing place in the path of downtown visitors—and a local business partner that understands how a physical experience can invite people to slow down, discover something, and carry a story with them.
We cut this Found Art emblem for Old World Olive Co. to recognize the businesses that open their doors to artists and make ArtPrize possible.
Why We Chose Monroe Center
Our installation was also invited to be part of a curated KCAD presentation. We were honored to be considered for that setting. After weighing the opportunities, we chose Old World Olive Co. because the Monroe Center storefront supports the kind of encounter we want this work to create.
The plan is to orient the installation toward the exterior window. Instead of requiring someone to already be inside a gallery, the artwork can meet people where ArtPrize happens: walking downtown, moving between venues, noticing something unexpected from the sidewalk.
Visitors will be able to view the work from Monroe Center and connect with its digital story from outside. That visibility matters. 50 States. 250 Years. is about shared American memory, place, movement, and participation. Facing the city lets it behave less like a private display and more like a public signal.
A Venue With Its Own Story
Old World Olive Co. is a fitting host because discovery is already part of the business.
Owners Shasta Fase and Cory DeLong trace the idea for the company to their travels through Tuscany, where olive-oil and balsamic tasting rooms inspired them to bring that experience home. Their first store opened in Rockford in 2009, and the business later expanded into downtown Grand Rapids. Today, its tasting-room concept includes more than 50 flavors of extra-virgin olive oils and premium balsamic vinegars sourced through artisanal farms around the world. You can read Old World Olive Co.’s full story here.
That makes the venue more than an address. People already enter the store ready to taste, compare, ask questions, and find something they did not expect. ArtPrize adds another layer of discovery to that experience.
Where to Find the Installation
Old World Olive Co. — Downtown Monroe Center
108 Monroe Center Street NW
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503
The business currently lists its Monroe Center hours as Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., and Sunday, noon–5 p.m. Check the official location page before visiting for the latest hours.
Open directions in Google Maps
The Artwork Will Keep Reaching Beyond the Window
The physical installation is only one part of the experience.
Through StickLink™, visitors will be able to move from the sidewalk-facing artwork into a living digital experience: state stories, project context, partner recognition, behind-the-scenes material, and new reasons to return as ArtPrize continues.
That is our idea of Connected Physical Media and Persistent Retail in practice. A physical object earns attention. A brand-controlled digital destination keeps the relationship useful without asking the artwork to become an advertisement.
The window gives the project a physical place. StickLink™ lets that place continue telling its story after the first encounter.
Small Objects, Hidden Surprises
We are also planning a limited number of tiny emblems and mementos for visitors during ArtPrize.
The details are still taking shape, so we are leaving a little mystery around them for now. Some pieces may carry an unexpected connected element—an Easter egg that only reveals itself after the object finds the right person.
Not every design or surprise will be guaranteed, and availability will be limited. That is part of the fun. The installation is the shared landmark; the small pieces are ways for parts of the experience to travel home.
Open Your Doors. Art Finds Them.
The emblem we created for Old World Olive Co. carries that line because ArtPrize depends on businesses willing to become something more than businesses for a few weeks.
When a storefront opens its doors to an artist, a familiar downtown block can become a gallery, a meeting place, a story, and a memory. Old World Olive Co. is giving 50 States. 250 Years. a visible place on Monroe Center—and giving State of Stick the opportunity to show what can happen when physical craftsmanship, public art, and a living digital experience occupy the same window.
Explore the full State of Stick ArtPrize project or visit Old World Olive Co. online.