RedBall Project Special Exhibition

The RedBall Project is rolling into Northwest Arkansas. On September 10 at 6 pm, MIXD Gallery will open a special exhibition in celebration of the RedBall Project. The exhibition will be on view during regular business hours the entire duration of the RedBall’s stay in Northwest Arkansas and will close on 4 pm Sunday, September 15.

The Northwest Arkansas tour of the RedBall Project by American artist Kurt Perschke. 

Considered the longest-running street art work, the RedBall Project is a 250-pound, 15-foot inflatable mobile sculpture work and event. Each day, the ball is wedged into a new pedestrian space or architectural feature.  

“Through the RedBall Project, I utilize my opportunity as an artist to be a catalyst for new encounters within the every day,” said Kurt Perschke. “Through the magnetic, playful, and charismatic nature of the RedBall the work is able to access the imagination embedded in all of us.” 

Between September 11 and 15, 2024, the red ball will travel across Northwest Arkansas, spending one full day in Bentonville, Fayetteville, Springdale, and Siloam Springs. Sites were chosen in April by the artist with the assistance of local production coordinator, Dayton Castleman.

“As a process, I go to each city and literally walk and bike the streets looking. I carry a camera, a sketchbook, and a laser meter and go exploring a city, getting very lost, over and over,” said Perschke. “What I am looking for is a collection of sites that together might make a great project. Some sites offer architectural excitement or history, others are at a nexus of pedestrian energy. I am always hunting for great sun and the chance for surprise.”

To celebrate this project, CACHE has planned two additional RedBall experiences, in addition to the daily installations. 

On September 10 at 6 pm, MIXD Gallery will open a special exhibition in celebration of the RedBall Project. The exhibition will be on view during regular business hours the entire duration of the RedBall’s stay in Northwest Arkansas and will close on 4 pm Sunday, September 15.

On September 11 at 6 pm, 21c Hotel and Museum will host an artist talk, also featuring Shelli Kerr, Comprehensive Planning Manager for the City of Bentonville, Carlyn Wilder, Associate Curator of OZ Art, Claire Kolberg, former Director of the award-winning The Unexpected, and Dayton Castleman, Director of Creative Placemaking at Verdant Studio. Tickets can be reserved online HERE. ​​

RedBall Project Dates and Locations:
The ball will be on view between 11 am and 6 pm each day.

September 10: ROGERS

MIXD Gallery Artist Reception, 6 pm

September 11: BENTONVILLE

Red Ball Location: Alleyway at 112 W. Central Ave. Artist Talk: 21c Museum Hotel Artist Talk, 6 pm
Note: The RedBall will not be on view at 21c

September 12: SILOAM SPRINGS

Location: The Crown Hotel Apartments, 119 W. University St

September 13: FAYETTEVILLE

Location: Art Court, 227 W. Dickson St

September 14: SPRINGDALE

Location: Shiloh Square, 106 W. Emma Ave

September 15: BENTONVILLE

Location: Alleyway at 130 W. Central Ave.

The RedBall Project is the culminating project for the Municipal Arts Alliance. 

Between 2021 and 2023, the Municipal Arts Alliance convened municipal leaders from the Cities of Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers, Siloam Springs, and Springdale to foster an inclusive creative ecosystem. 

Through the lens of arts and creativity, the program integrated cross-disciplinary connections to pressing issues including creative workforce development, placemaking, active public realm, and diversity and belonging.

The Municipal Arts Alliance is an initiative of CACHE, with support from the Walmart Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, and participating municipalities. It was designed and facilitated by F. Philip Barash, a recognized leader in place-based learning. To learn more, visit https://cachecreate.org/municipal-arts-alliance/ 

About Kurt Perschke:

Kurt Perschke is an artist who works in sculpture, video, collage, and public space. His most acclaimed work, RedBall Project, is a traveling public art project that has taken place in over 40 cities including Abu Dhabi, Taipei, Perth, England, Barcelona, St. Louis, Korea, Portland, Sydney, Arizona, Chicago, and Toronto, and received a National Award from Americans for the Arts Public Art Network. In addition to RedBall, Perschke has completed commissions for several institutions including The Museum of Contemporary Art Barcelona, the Vienna Technical Museum, and the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis. His video work has been screened in Europe and the US, and at the Bronx Museum during his time as an AIM Fellow. Born in Chicago, Kurt Perschke has also lived in the Virgin Islands, St. Louis, Vienna, and Cairo, Egypt. After 15+ years in New York City, he currently lives and works in Asheville, NC.