Oct. 6, 2025

A Sioux Falls-based sculptor has earned international recognition for a piece that appeared on the downtown SculptureWalk.

Cameron Stalheim was awarded the juried 3D category prize at ArtPrize 2025 for his sculpture Persist, which originally was shown on SculptureWalk in 2018.

ArtPrize is a major annual international art competition and cultural festival held in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For two weeks each fall, the city becomes a sprawling public art gallery with art in different themes shown in parks, storefronts, public plazas and restaurants.

This year, more than 1,100 artists brought more than 900 pieces to venues across downtown Grand Rapids. ArtPrize distributes over $600,000 in awards and grants each year. Awards are determined both by public voting and by a juried panel of art experts.

The sculpture Persist presents a kneeling figure enveloped in flowing cloth. The sculptural “folds both conceal and reveal, offering a visual metaphor for how we carry our pasts while gradually releasing them,” according to a statement from Stalheim.

“Persistence here is not the clenching of fists, but the willingness to open one’s hands. Let someone help you find your way back to clarity,” he said.

Stalheim also won SculptureWalk Sioux Falls’ People’s Choice Award in 2023 for his piece Linger, and the sculpture Seeker is part of the this year’s exhibition.

Persist is available for purchase. Interested collectors, institutions or patrons are invited to visit cameronsculpture.com or contact Stalheim directly for pricing and acquisition details.