Dune Bears: ArtPrize 2022 Honda Design and Drive Contest

The Story of Sleeping Bear

Local Artist, National Lakeshore: The Enduring Story of Sleeping Bear at ArtPrize

Katelyn Wollet on art that connects

GRAND RAPIDS, September 30, 2022 — Artist and photographer Katelyn Wollet is the winner of the West Michigan Honda Dealers Design & Drive Art Contest at ArtPrize with her painting “Dune Bears”, showcasing the Story of Sleeping Bear on each panel of a 2022 Honda Accord.

A lifetime resident of Michigan, the now Muskegon-based local was inspired by a love of animals and deep care for the water and ecosystems of Michigan, especially the lakeshore and northern Michigan.

“Dune Bears” video timelapse, four days in forty-two seconds

“It's an artist’s responsibility to bring awareness to the interplay of plants and animals, of people and culture,” says Wollet. “This story is a perfect combination of history, environment, spirit, and of storytelling itself. We are stewards to an incredibly diverse region of Michigan and we honor those who came before us so that generations after us can enjoy their own experiences.”

The shore of Lake Michigan is home to the world’s largest collection of freshwater sand dunes. According to the National Park Service, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore gets its name “from one dune in particular—the Mother Bear. Perched along the edge of the large dune that towers over Lake Michigan, this dune, at one time, resembled a sleeping bear. The Ashininaabek used the Mother Bear as a landmark and to tell a story about how she came to be there. Two different versions of the story are commonly told. These stories are an Anishinaabe (Odawa/Ottawa, Ojibway/Chippewa and Potawatomi) oral tradition of a sacred place within their homelands in the Great Lakes.”

“I hope that new illustrations on an unconventional canvas could introduce the story to younger generations who may not have heard it, or perhaps remind those of us who’ve forgotten,” says Wollet. “ArtPrize is about making art accessible.”

Good Morning America named Sleeping Bear Dunes the “Most Beautiful Place in America”. As the largest freshwater system in the world, more than twenty-percent of the world’s freshwater is contained within the Great Lakes which serves as the primary source of drinking water for over 40 million people.

According to Wollet’s artist statement, “Dune Bears” is “the origin story of our northern Michigan coast. Each panel depicts a piece of the lakeshore legend: The Story of Sleeping Bear. Though a difficult tale of a mother bear who lost her cubs, the narrative glows with her unwavering love and dedication as she waits on the shore and is covered with sand that formed today’s dunes. Whether you’ve seen those unrivaled ‘Up North’ views in-person a hundred times, or are first imagining them today, together we can appreciate and preserve our coastal lands and the waters that connect us all.”

Since 2009, ArtPrize has brought together artists and the community to see art both large and small covering the city’s public places and private venues. One of the highlights of the experience is the opportunity for the public to place votes for all art on display: 2-D, 3-D, time-based and installations.

West Michigan Honda Dealers sponsors the Design & Drive Art Contest at the festival where six finalist artists compete to win a 24-Month lease on a new 2023 Honda HR-V as a separate online vote.

The finished Honda vehicles are on display at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids September 19 to October 2, 2022.

“Whether taking photos or making art, my job is to create work that brings people to the present moment, hopefully finding a little peace and connection in the process,” says Wollet. “At my core, I love encouraging everyone to make art. I believe art is very healing.”

About Katelyn: Katelyn Wollet is an artist and photographer who makes art that allows people to create and experience peace: to stop, to slow down, and to breathe. She specializes in combining timeless photography with hand-drawn work that empowers. Katelyn graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Art from the University of Michigan Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design. The Muskegon Lakeshore Museum Center acquired her art installation, the Michigan State Capitol displayed her photography, and she received an Honorable Mention at the Juried University of Michigan Stamps Alumni Exhibition. Katelyn lives in Muskegon on the shores of Lake Michigan. Ask her about commissioned work and photography. www.nowkate.com

About ArtPrize: ArtPrize is an open and independently organized international art competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan that celebrates artists working across all mediums from anywhere in the world. www.artprize.org

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Follow Katelyn on Instagram @kwollet