Didn’t get a Sphere at the Auction?

Purchase a Raffle Ticket for a Chance to Win One

at Party on the Pavement

The Downtown Racine Corporation has announced that 10 spheres from this summer’s public art event, “Sphere Madness”, will be part of a special Party on the Pavement raffle.    

Raffle tickets are on sale now to win a sphere.   Tickets cost $1 each or six for $5 and are available at the Downtown Racine Corporation office at 425 Main Street.  Raffle tickets will also be available for sale at Party on the Pavement. 

During Party on the Pavement, you may deposit your tickets in the raffle boxes of your favorite spheres.  Winning names will be drawn at 6 p.m. Saturday, October 4, during Party on the Pavement.  You do not need to be present to win.

The 10 spheres that will be included in the raffle are:

              Magic Bead Ball

              Shine

              Cherry Flavor Paver

              Knots Landing

              Sorcerer’s Spell

              Pond

              Around the Yard

              M C Ecsphere

              Mod Pod

              Ball of Yarn 

Call the DRC office at 634-6002 for more information.  Don't miss your chance to bring home a sphere from Downtown Racine's seventh public art project.

View photographs of all of the spheres

Keep the Ball Rolling…

Sphere Madness Public Auction to be Held September 6

On Saturday, September 6, the spheres of Sphere Madness, Downtown Racine’s 2008 Public Art Project, go on the auction block.  The auction will be held at Memorial Hall in Downtown Racine.  The public is invited to this fun event as Downtown’s public art pieces are auctioned to the highest bidders.

The doors at Memorial Hall will open at 3 p.m. for a preview of the spheres and the start of the silent auction.  The voice auction portion begins promptly at 4 p.m.  Twenty-five spheres will be in the voice auction and 50 spheres will be part of the silent auction. Admission cost is $3.00 per person.  Food and refreshments will be available for sale.

Advance bid numbers for the voice auction are now available at the Downtown Racine Corporation office, 425 Main Street.  The office is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For anyone not able to attend the auction but who is interested in bidding on their favorite sphere, proxy bidders will be available.  For more information on this service, please call the Downtown Racine Corporation at 262-634-6002.

On September 6, prior to the voice auction, cash prizes will be awarded to the artists of the top three spheres.  They are:

First Place (winning $3,000) – Scrambled Egg

              Artist:  Renee Staeck

          Sponsor:  Landmark Title of Racine and Henry & Wanda’s

Second Place (winning $2,000) – Hemispherium

              Artist:  Tammy Easton

          Sponsor:  Dr. Michael Westmann, DDS MS

Third Place (winning $1,000) – Do You See What I See?

              Artist:  Mason Swager

          Sponsor:  Wachovia Securities

Gather Round for Downtown Racine's 2008 Public Art Project

Downtown Racine's 2008 public art project will feature a unique sphere-shaped piece of art.  The pieces will consist of a 32" diameter sphere on a 32" x 24" based molded as one piece.  The over-all height of the piece is 40" and each sphere weighs approximately 30 lbs.  The spheres are a hollow form molded of fiberglass. 

Artists will have the opportunity to decorate their creations in much the same way the previous critters and lighthouses were decorated.  "This year's rounded surface will add a new element", said Terry Leopold, Director of Special Events for the Downtown Racine Corporation.  "We envision creative interpretations such as the sun, moon globe or plants and everything from whimsical garden art to sophisticated and dramatic art pieces for homes and offices."

Pictured above is the sphere-shaped fiberglass mold

for Downtown Racine's 2008 Public Art Event.

Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Art!...You're Invited

The Downtown Racine Corporation invites you to join us for a fun and fabulous 50's sock hop to preview the 2008 public art "spheres". 

It will be a blast from the past as we celebrate Sphere Madness on Saturday, May 31, at Wingspread. 

So, slick back your hair, put on your poodle skirt and bobby socks for a hot roddin' good time.

We're hopelessly devoted to you being there!

Artist Design Packets Now Available

Artist design packets are now available.  All design proposals must be submitted to the Downtown Racine Corporation by Friday, February 29.  A panel of judges will determine the designs for this year's event.  Artists will be notified by mail of the final selections.  Artists will also be notified of when they can pick up the fiberglass sphere mold.

Each artist will be awarded a $100 stipend to cover some of their costs.  Cash prizes will also be awarded to those artists winning the "Best of Show" as determined by a panel of judges.  Prizes to be awarded are $3,000 First Place; $2,000 Second Place and $1,000 Third Place.

DRC Seeking Sponsors

Businesses and individuals are invited to become sponsors of the completed art pieces.  Sponsorship is $550 per sphere and all donations are tax deductible. Each sponsor's name will be displayed on a plaque and sponsors will receive on-going publicity via news releases, walking tour maps and feature articles.

Local Company Provides Spheres

The 32" spheres that are being featured in the 2008 public art project are being produced by a local Racine area manufacturer, Fiber-Tech, Inc.

Fiber-Tech, which is located in Franksville, fabricates custom molded composit components and assemblies for diverse OEM markets.  They have served the agriculturaol, construction, mass transit, telecommunications, marine, aerospace and power generation markets since 1987.

The spheres being produced by Fiber-Tech are made of fiberglass finished with a smooth gel coat surface.  The sphere was designed by Doug Kowalski, Fiber-Tech project engineer, using computer aided 3D software.  5 axis CNC equipment was used to make patterns and molds for the production of the 75 units.  The mold is two halves of a sphere which are then seamed together to make the hollow orb.  Fiber-Tech is producing 1 to 1 1/2 spheres per day.