LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Let the competition begin!
On Tuesday, Sphere officials held kick-off training events for students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the Clark County School District as they begin designing art submissions, which could be featured on the Exosphere.
Last month, Sphere announced the inaugural "Sphere XO Student Design Challenge". While students from the fourth through eighth grade are illustrating and painting 2D drawings of Sphere for their submissions, 30 CCSD high school students and 30 UNLV College of Fine Arts students were selected to create their artwork using virtual reality headsets and custom design tools provided by Sphere.
For students like Jamie Centeno, who is working on her master's degree in architecture, it's an opportunity to get experience in a field she wants to work in some day.
"I'm originally from New York. But now, I consider myself a Vegas local and to be able to produce art that's going to go, basically, on the largest canvas in the world is just an amazing opportunity for aspiring artists like myself," Centeno said. "We often study the Sphere in architecture. And now, to be able to create something for it is really amazing."
Four winners will be selected by the general public and four winners will be selected by artists that have had their work featured on the Exosphere like Refik Anadol and Michela Picchi. Winners will also receive scholarship money, which Centeno said will come in handy.
"I'm looking to pursue a Ph.D., which is, often, not really attainable," Centeno said. "I'm a first-gen student so I funded my entire educational career through scholarships already and to have this, as well, would really help me on my journey."
School officials for both UNLV and CCSD said this is a one-of-a-kind opportunity.
"There has been quite a buzz here in Las Vegas for the past year and we're just so excited that they would be willing to highlight some of our students," said Leslie Grobl, Coordinator of Elementary and Secondary Fine Arts at CCSD. "We have amazing artists in the Clark County School District."
So what are the next steps for the Sphere challenge?
In addition to the 60 submissions from CCSD high school students and UNLV students, 60 submissions will be selected by CCSD administrators from the fourth through eight grade submissions. A total of 120 digitized submissions will be put online at thesphere.com in late May for the public to vote on.
The winning designs will be displayed on July 4, 2024, which also marks the one-year anniversary since the Exosphere made its debut.
