Festivals

ArtPrize, a yearly art festival in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is attracting unprecedented crowds to this unexpected destination.

This video from the BBC takes a tour of a new winter festival in China in which a city of sculptures has been created out of ice.

"Art works," says Jason Schupbach of the NEA. And in Grand Rapids, Michigan, it really does, where the yearly ArtPrize event draws in an estimated $5-7 million in economic impact each year.

Every year, residents in Santa Fe, New Mexico send a huge human effigy into flames. Burning with it are physical representations of the bad memories and experiences of the past year.

The ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan resulted in 1,262 artists temporarily installing their pieces in 159 venues around downtown. The public picks the winner.

The Pittsburgh Marathon was canceled for five years due to budget constraints, but a recent study shows that the 2009 race generated over $22 million in spending.