How a Quirky Art Prize Tied to the DeVos Family Went Political
Patricia Constantine thought hard about whether to use an image of the education secretary, Betsy DeVos, in her entry to this year’s ArtPrize contest. The mixed-media painting depicts Ms. Constantine as a carnival freak suffering for the perceived misdeeds of Ms. DeVos and President Trump. But Ms. DeVos isn’t just your everyday target in Michigan: She and her family provide major financial support to the ArtPrize awards that might honor the very works that skewer her.
“Am I going to back off because the DeVos family donates a lot of money to the city and her son founded ArtPrize?” Ms. Constantine, a professor of illustration at Ferris State University here. “What would that say to my students?” . . .