ArtPrize, Safety, and the City: How Grey Dog Security Protected West Michigan’s Biggest Art Festival

ArtPrize turns downtown Grand Rapids into a living gallery every year, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors to streets, bridges, venues, and public spaces across the city. It is one of the largest international art competitions and cultural festivals in the country, with people exploring installations, performances, and events throughout its multi-week run.

In 2025, our team at Grey Dog Security had the privilege of serving as the security provider for ArtPrize. From opening moments to the final VIP celebration, we were on the ground, on the bridges, and inside key venues, protecting guests, artists, volunteers, staff, and installations across multiple event locations.

What Makes ArtPrize a Unique Security Challenge?

ArtPrize is not a typical single-site event. It spans multiple districts across downtown Grand Rapids, with venues located in Center City, the North and South corridors, and sites on both the East and West sides.

- Map Source: ArtPrize 2025 Venues

Visitors travel by foot, shuttle, bus, bike, and scooter, and they move constantly between outdoor spaces, galleries, museums, and pop-up venues. That kind of footprint creates a unique security environment. Instead of one gate and one building, there are bridges, plazas, streets, parks, indoor venues, and temporary installations.

Crowd density changes constantly as people move from one featured event to another or gather around large public works and performances.

For security, this means:

• Highly visible coverage in public spaces to deter issues before they start.
• Coordinated communication between teams spread out across distances.
• Flexible response to support organizers, law enforcement, volunteers, and venue staff as situations change throughout the day and night.

Our goal was simple: support the ArtPrize mission of making art accessible and inspiring, while quietly ensuring that everyone could enjoy the experience with confidence.

How Did Grey Dog Security Support the Major ArtPrize Events?

During ArtPrize 2025, we were entrusted with security coverage for all three major anchor events: the Opening Ceremony, the Halftime Ceremony with public voting and concert, and the Closing VIP Ceremony.

Each one required a different security approach, even though many of the same locations and audiences were involved.

Opening Ceremony: Rosa Parks Circle and the 6th Street Bridge

The Opening Ceremony sets the tone for the entire festival. Our teams were positioned at both Rosa Parks Circle and the 6th Street Bridge, two high-visibility locations that attract heavy foot traffic and become natural gathering points for visitors taking in the city skyline, river views, and early installations.

At these sites, our responsibilities included:

• Establishing a visible security presence to deter disorderly behavior and support a family-friendly environment.
• Supporting crowd flow on sidewalks, crossings, and bridge approaches, especially as people stopped to take photos or linger near installations.
• Monitoring access points and working alongside organizers so artists, vendors, and staff could move safely through controlled areas.

Halftime Ceremony: Voting, Concert, and Crowd Energy

The Halftime Ceremony is when public voting is in full swing, and energy is at its peak. The ArtPrize voting system relies on people moving between venues to see entries, then casting votes digitally within the official boundary. Combined with a concert atmosphere, this creates a different security environment than on opening night.

For this phase, our focus sharpened on:

• Crowd density and movement, especially near stage areas, vendor lines, and transit stops.
• Incident prevention through regular patrols, early engagement with potential conflicts, and collaboration with event staff.
• Clear communication channels so our teams could coordinate quickly if someone needed medical assistance or if crowd conditions shifted suddenly.

We see event security as much more than standing in one place. It is about reading the crowd, staying ahead of potential problems, and helping organizers keep the experience enjoyable for everyone, from families to late-night visitors.

Closing VIP Ceremony at Studio Park

For the Closing VIP Ceremony at Studio Park, our role shifted toward guest management, access control, and a more controlled environment.

Here, our responsibilities included:

• Managing guest entry and exit, ensuring only authorized invitees had access to VIP spaces.
• Supporting staff and organizers so they could host sponsors, artists, and community leaders without worrying about security gaps.

Maintaining privacy and safety for high-profile attendees and event participants.

How Did We Protect Artists and Volunteers Behind the Scenes?

The headline events are only part of ArtPrize. Much of the important work happens out of the spotlight, in venues and installations that require round-the-clock attention and care.

During the festival, our team provided:

• Coverage at BioPhilia, including special events such as a fashion show and ongoing venue activity.
• A constant presence at the ArtPrize ClubHouse, where volunteers, artists, and staff gathered for programming, support, and daily operations. We focused on keeping that environment safe, so the people running the festival could do their work confidently.
• 24/7 security coverage at Arborialis, which required overnight and off-hours protection to safeguard the area while remaining ready for visitors during open hours.

For ArtPrize, that meant:

• Regularly checking installations and access points, especially after hours.
• Being available at all hours to respond to issues or support site contacts.
• Maintaining a calm, visible presence that reassured artists and staff that their work was safe.

What Does the ArtPrize Partnership Say About Our Security Approach?

ArtPrize is a live test of many of the services Grey Dog Security offers across West Michigan:

• Events security, structuring coverage for opening nights, concerts, VIP programs, and neighborhood-scale events so attendees can enjoy themselves while risk stays under control.
• Business and venue security, supporting indoor spaces like BioPhilia and the ArtPrize ClubHouse with guards who understand how to blend into public-facing environments without losing situational awareness.
• Asset and land security, protecting installations, outdoor venues, and high-value locations with overnight patrols and 24/7 support.
• Local response, using our knowledge of downtown Grand Rapids, surrounding streets, and community rhythms to respond quickly and effectively as crowds moved between districts and venues.

We see security as a responsibility to the wider community. When we stand at a bridge, patrol a venue, or watch over an overnight installation, we are also representing the city, the organizers, and the artists who have trusted us with their work and their safety.

How Can Grey Dog Security Support Your Next Event in West Michigan?

If you are planning a festival, concert, corporate gathering, or community event anywhere in West Michigan, the lessons from ArtPrize apply directly to your needs.

• Large or multi-site events benefit from early security planning, including crowd flow, access control, and contingency planning.
• Community-driven events need approachable, professional guards who support the experience rather than overshadow it.
• High-value venues, art installations, and outdoor spaces require reliable overnight and off-hours protection

Planning an upcoming event or concerned about security at your venue?

Call 1-800-903-4110 or email info@greydogsecurity.com for a customized security assessment and event coverage plan

FAQs: How Grey Dog Security Protected West Michigan’s Biggest Art Festival

1. Why is visible security important at large public festivals?

A visible security presence deters unsafe behavior, reassures guests, and helps keep crowd movement orderly, all contribute to a safer and more enjoyable experience.

2. Can Grey Dog Security support both public events and private VIP functions?

Yes. We handle large public gatherings as well as controlled VIP environments, managing access, guest safety, and privacy while working closely with organizers and venue staff.

3. What role did Grey Dog Security play at ArtPrize?

We provided security coverage for all three major ArtPrize events, smaller venue activities, and 24/7 protection for key installations, supporting guests, artists, volunteers, and staff across multiple locations.

4. Does Grey Dog Security get involved in planning before an event?

Yes. We work with organizers ahead of time to understand venues, schedules, crowd patterns, and risk points so that security coverage fits the event instead of reacting to problems after they happen.

5. What makes Grey Dog Security a strong fit for events in downtown Grand Rapids?

Our local response capability, familiarity with downtown locations, and experience with city-wide events like ArtPrize help us respond quickly, position teams effectively, and support both organizers and guests.