A work by UAB Art Professor John Douglas Powers, M.F.A., placed seventh among more than 1,200 entries in ArtPrize, a new, international competition in Grand Rapids, Mich., that culminated with an awards ceremony Oct. 8.
 
The top 10 finalists were awarded cash prizes at the ceremony. Powers was awarded a $7,000 prize for his work, “Field of Reeds,” a kinetic sculpture 4 1/2 feet in height by 14 feet by 10 feet. Composed of 1001 vertical “reeds” held in place and supported by an articulated wooden assemblage, an electric motor causes the reeds to sway.
 
Powers, assistant professor of sculpture at UAB, attended the awards ceremony. “Really it is a huge surprise. There are almost 1,300 artists involved. To be included at all is exciting, and to be in the top 10 is astounding. It’s a real honor,” Powers said.