Challenge Open Exclusively to More Than
100,000 Students Ranging from
Elementary School through
College from the Clark County
School District and UNLV
Eight Clark County-Based Student Winners
Will be Chosen Through a Combination
of
General Public Voting and Selection by
Professional Artists including Refik
Anadol and Michela
Picchi
LAS
VEGAS, March 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sphere
Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR) today announced the inaugural Sphere
XO Student Design Challenge – a first-of-its-kind partnership with
the greater Las Vegas community
that for the very first time, gives select members of the general
public the opportunity to see their art featured on the Exosphere.
The Sphere XO Student Design Challenge is a collaboration between
Sphere and the Clark County School
District (CCSD) and University of Nevada, Las
Vegas (UNLV) that will provide
more than 100,000 Clark
County-based students with an unprecedented opportunity to
create art for the Exosphere. Eight student winners ranging from
elementary school through college will be chosen by a combination
of voting by the general public on thesphere.com, and selected by
professional artists who have designed for the Exosphere, including
Refik Anadol and Michela Picchi. The Sphere XO Student Design
Challenge, which will kick off this month, will be themed around
the 4th of July, with winning students' artwork debuting on the
Exosphere on July 4, 2024, which will
also mark the one-year anniversary of the first illumination of the
Exosphere. In addition, winning high school and UNLV students will receive a $10,000 educational scholarship from Sphere.
Winning elementary and middle school students will earn a
$10,000 donation from Sphere for
their school's art program to further art education in public
schools, as well as tickets for their entire school to attend The
Sphere Experience this Fall.
"Sphere is more than a venue – it is a new entertainment medium
uniting art and science to broaden our understanding of what's
possible through artistic and technological innovation," said
Jim Dolan, Executive Chairman and
CEO, Sphere Entertainment. "Sphere XO Student Design Challenge is
an opportunity for us to engage Las
Vegas students by introducing them to Sphere's technology,
and meaningfully give back to the community by inspiring its
future."
"I have a deep understanding and appreciation for the
determination required by young artists who hope to break into the
art world – this is an excellent opportunity to showcase their work
to a global audience," said Refik
Anadol, world-renowned digital artist. "I am honored to
participate and support these students at the beginning of their
journey toward what I hope will be productive careers in the
arts."
"The intersection of art and technology is a consistent
throughline in our curriculum and a crucial priority for students
pursuing careers in these rapidly evolving industries," said
Nancy Uscher, Dean of UNLV College
of Fine Arts. "Sphere serves as a real-world example of innovation
in art, and we're thrilled that our student body has the chance to
become active participants in this cultural achievement."
"Arts education in public schools is more vital than ever," said
Dr. Brenda Larsen-Mitchell, Interim
Superintendent of Schools, Clark
County School District. "We are fortunate to not only have
this next-generation canvas in Las
Vegas but also to have Sphere's commitment to using it in
support of the local community. With Sphere's XO Student Design
Challenge, our students get to explore innovation through art via
hands-on learning."
SPHERE XO STUDENT DESIGN CHALLENGE DESIGN PROCESS:
- Elementary/Middle School:
- All Clark County School
District students in grades 4-8 (approximately 125,000 students)
are invited to participate
- Students will be provided with a 2D drawing of Sphere that they
will be able to illustrate or paint
- CCSD administrators will select 294 students to represent the
District: one student from each of the 233 elementary schools and
one from each of the 61 middle schools
- The 60 best submissions – 30 from the 233 elementary school
submissions and 30 from the 61 middle school submissions – will be
chosen by school administrators to be digitized by the Sphere team
for the final judging and voting process
- The public voting component will take place after the
60 CCSD-selected works have been digitized
- High School/College:
- 60 students – 30 from Clark
County School District high schools and 30 from UNLV
Colleges of Fine Arts, Architecture, Film, Engineering, and
Mathematics – will be selected to participate by school
administrators based on students' demonstrated passion for art and
digital design
- The 60 participating students will be provided with a VR
headset and custom design tools developed by the Sphere team,
including a digital creator app, to aid in the creation of their
art
- They will also receive hands-on tutorials from Sphere designers
on how to create art specifically for the Exosphere's unique LED
canvas
- All 60 submissions from the high school and college students
who were selected to participate will be digitized by the Sphere
team for the final judging and voting process
- The public voting component will take place after the
60 CCSD-selected works have been digitized
SPHERE XO STUDENT DESIGN CHALLENGE WINNER SELECTION
PROCESS:
- A total of 120 digitized submissions (30 each from elementary
school, middle school, high school and UNLV) will be viewable
on thesphere.com in late May for public voting. Additional
information about the voting process, including the specific dates,
will be announced at a later date.
- The selection process to choose eight total winners who will
have their artwork displayed on the Exosphere on July 4, 2024 will be as follows:
- Four winners, one each from elementary, middle, high school
and UNLV, will be chosen by the general public, who will have
the opportunity to vote at thesphere.com
- Four winners, one each from elementary, middle, high school and
UNLV, will be chosen by artists
including Anadol and Picchi
- Ultimately, two elementary school students, two middle school
students, two high school students and two UNLV students will win and see their work displayed
on the Exosphere
Since the Exosphere was first illuminated on July 4, 2023, it has captured worldwide attention
for its impactful visuals. The largest LED screen on Earth, the
Exosphere consists of approximately 1.2 million LED pucks, spaced
eight inches apart. Each puck contains 48 individual LED diodes,
with each diode capable of displaying more than 1 billion different
colors – creating a vivid landmark on the Las Vegas skyline.
For additional information, please visit
thesphere.com/xo-student-design-challenge.
For Exosphere imagery, please click here.
About Sphere
Sphere is a next-generation entertainment
medium that is redefining the future of live entertainment. A venue
where the foremost artists, creators, and technologists create
extraordinary experiences that take storytelling to a new level and
transport audiences to places both real and imagined. The venue
hosts original Sphere Experiences from leading Hollywood directors; concerts and residencies
from the world's biggest artists; and premier marquee events. The
first Sphere venue opened in Las
Vegas in September 2023, and
is a new Las Vegas landmark,
powered by cutting-edge technologies that ignite the senses and
enable audiences to share experiences at a never-before-seen scale.
More information is available at thesphere.com.
About Sphere Entertainment
Sphere Entertainment Co. is
a premier live entertainment and media company. The Company
includes Sphere, a next-generation entertainment medium powered by
cutting-edge technologies to redefine the future of entertainment.
The first Sphere venue opened in Las
Vegas in September 2023. In
addition, the Company includes MSG Networks, which operates two
regional sports and entertainment networks, MSG Network and MSG
Sportsnet, as well as a direct-to-consumer and authenticated
streaming product, MSG+, delivering a wide range of live sports
content and other programming. More information is available at
sphereentertainmentco.com.
PR Contact
Sphere Entertainment
– spherepr@thesphere.com
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SOURCE Sphere Entertainment Co.