Sphere Launches “Sphere XO Student Design Challenge” A First-Of-Its-Kind Partnership With The Las Vegas Community Marking The First Time Members Of The General Public Will See Their Art Featured On The Exosphere
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) – 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.”
- 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
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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.