Kinetic sculpture race
Encyclopedia
Kinetic sculpture races are organized contests of human-powered
amphibious
all-terrain works of art. The original event, the Kinetic Grand Championship in Humboldt County
, California, is also called the "Triathlon of the Art World" because art and engineering are combined with physical endurance during a three day cross country race that includes sand, mud, pavement, a bay crossing, a river crossing and major hills.
There are other kinetic challenges, derbies and so on which follow some of the rules and traditions of kinetic sculpture racing, but are not an official part of it.
in 1969 when local sculptor Hobart Brown
"improved" the appearance of his son's tricycle by welding on two additional wheels and other embellishments. Seeing this "Pentacycle," fellow artist Jack Mays challenged him to a race. Others later joined in creating a field of twelve machines that inaugurated the first race down Ferndale's Main Street during the town's annual art festival. Neither Hobart Brown nor Mays won; instead, the first winner was Bob Brown of Eureka, California
whose sculpture was a smoke-emitting Turtle that laid eggs. The race received broad publicity when photos of Congressman Don Clausen
riding the Pentacycle were seen nationally.
The event was repeated in 1970, and the course subsequently expanded to include cross-country terrain. When affiliated races were initiated in other cities and the course grew, the Ferndale event became the World Championship, and has grown into the largest single event in Humboldt County.
During the 1970s, the race adopted its present three day, cross-country format and became the "Triathlon of the Art World." Machines tackled mud, sand, water, gravel and pavement. Stan Bennett's book Crazy Contraptions chronicles the first five years of the race. In the early 1980s, Hobart Brown was referred to as the "Glorious Founder of the Kinetic Race" in a spectators' brochure.
As the 1980s ended, Calistoga Mineral water company began sponsoring the race, which adopted a family-friendly approach. Soon after, Yakima Products inc. a local manufacturer of sports racks and car storage boxes became interested in the race. The sponsors' financial support—especially the creation of the Kinetic Lab in Arcata—took the race to a new level of art and engineering. The Lab's 83-foot-long sculpture Nightmare of the Iguana was the longest ever raced.
During the 1990s, the race matured. Many contestants were younger than the race, having grown up with its philosophy, "Adults having fun so children will want to grow older," coined by Brown. As age and crippling arthritis
limited his activities, he sold the race rights, the kinetic chicken logo and the trademark "For the Glory" slogan to a new not-for-profit agency called the Humboldt Kinetic Association in 2002.
The race course covers 41 miles, crossing both Humboldt Bay
and the Eel River
and includes a series of dramatic sand dunes known as "June's Dunes" and the aptly named "Dead Man's Drop" and the challenging Eel River exit at Morgan's Slough. The race begins on Arcata Plaza with the Saturday noon whistle; the race goes through Eureka
and Loleta
before reaching the finish line on the third day on Main Street in Ferndale.
The race is broadcast live on local radio station KHUM
.
Changing economics caused the sport rack company to leave the area and the water company to end their sponsorship. With no major sponsor and several years of county budget cutbacks reflecting statewide budget difficulties, in 2007 a single private donor provided 99% of the race's operating funds.
In early 2007, Humboldt Kinetic Association abjured responsibility for the race. Race volunteers rapidly created Kinetic Universe, a new not-for-profit, to manage the 2007 race. In 2009, the New Belgium Brewing Company
became a sponsor.
(AVAM) in Baltimore worked with Hobart Brown to start the first race in the Eastern United States, and has continued to sponsor the race every year since. On May 7, 2011, twenty-six teams brought 33 sculptures to Baltimore for the 13th annual East Coast Championship. The fourteenth annual race is scheduled for Saturday, May 5, 2012.
In contrast to the rural flair of Humboldt County, the Baltimore race spans the city's urban center and is completed in a single day. The 15-mile race begins with morning opening ceremonies and the start at AVAM on the south side of the Inner Harbor
, continues past well-known sites including Federal Hill, the Maryland Science Center
, Harborplace
, the USS Constellation
, the National Aquarium, and Fells Point, has a water entry at Canton, an obstacle course at Patterson Park
, and then returns through the city to the finish line at AVAM in the late afternoon. An awards ceremony at AVAM concludes the event.
In 2002, the race included a crossing of the ice rink in Patterson Park, a challenging extension of the all-terrain aspect.
However, in the years since then the race has been held later in the spring to benefit from warmer weather—after the rink is closed for the season.
The 2004, 2005 and 2006 Queens are the founding members of the board of directors of a new non-profit entity, Kinetic Universe Inc., which now administers the Kinetic Grand Championship, 3-day Arcata to Ferndale Kinetic Sculpture Race.
Other Kinetic Races select different botanical Queens, including the Rose-Hips Queen of Port Townsend, Washington. In Australia, having already a real queen, the race selects a Goddess to rule over the festivities instead.
Human-powered transport
Human-powered transport is the transport of person and/or goods using human muscle power. Like animal-powered transport, human-powered transport has existed since time immemorial in the form of walking, running and swimming...
amphibious
Amphibious
Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to:*Amphibious warfare, warfare carried out on both land and water*Amphibians, vertebrate animals of the Class Amphibia...
all-terrain works of art. The original event, the Kinetic Grand Championship in Humboldt County
Humboldt County
Humboldt County is the name of three counties in the United States:* Humboldt County, California* Humboldt County, Iowa* Humboldt County, NevadaHumboldt County may also refer to:...
, California, is also called the "Triathlon of the Art World" because art and engineering are combined with physical endurance during a three day cross country race that includes sand, mud, pavement, a bay crossing, a river crossing and major hills.
Race locations
Kinetic sculpture races are held in many locations:- Humboldt County, CaliforniaHumboldt County, CaliforniaHumboldt County is a county in the U.S. state of California, located on the far North Coast 200 miles north of San Francisco. According to 2010 Census Data, the county’s population was 134,623...
hosts the annual World Grand Championship the last weekend of May. It spans 42 miles over 3 days. - Baltimore, Maryland - the East Coast Championship sponsored by the American Visionary Art MuseumAmerican Visionary Art MuseumThe American Visionary Art Museum is an art museum located in the Federal Hill neighborhood at 800 Key Highway in Baltimore, Maryland and that specializes in the preservation and display of visionary art...
covers 15 miles through downtown Baltimore and the harbor. - Port Townsend, WashingtonPort Townsend, WashingtonPort Townsend is a city in Jefferson County, Washington, United States, approximately north-northwest of Seattle . The population was 9,113 at the 2010 census an increase of 9.3% over the 2000 census. It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County...
- Corvallis, OregonCorvallis, OregonCorvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
- as part of their "da Vinci Days" Festival - Ventura, CaliforniaVentura, CaliforniaVentura is the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States, incorporated in 1866. The population was 106,433 at the 2010 census, up from 100,916 at the 2000 census. Ventura is accessible via U.S...
- benefits the Turning Point Foundation - Clearlake, CaliforniaClearlake, CaliforniaClearlake is a city located in Lake County, California. Clearlake is located north-northwest of Lower Lake, at an elevation of 1417 feet...
- part of town's 4th of JulyIndependence Day (United States)Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
Celebration, sponsored by the Clearlake Chamber of Commerce - Klamath Falls, OregonKlamath Falls, OregonKlamath Falls is a city in Klamath County, Oregon, United States. Originally called Linkville when George Nurse founded the town in 1867, after the Link River on whose falls this city sat, although no falls currently exist; the name was changed to Klamath Falls in 1892...
- Prescott Valley, ArizonaPrescott Valley, ArizonaPrescott Valley is a town in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States, just east of Prescott. Prescott Valley was the seventh fastest-growing place among all cities and towns in Arizona between 1990 and 2000...
- Geraldton, Western AustraliaGeraldton, Western AustraliaGeraldton is a city and port in Western Australia located north of Perth in the Mid West region. Geraldton has an estimated population at June 2010 of 36,958...
- Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
hosts a kinetic sculpture derby as part of the Trenton Avenue arts festival in the neighborhood of Kensington, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaKensington, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaKensington is a neighborhood in the United States city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is between the Lower Northeast section of Philadelphia and North Philadelphia. Not to be confused with the former Kensington District, now commonly referred to as Fishtown, the area modernly referred to as...
.
There are other kinetic challenges, derbies and so on which follow some of the rules and traditions of kinetic sculpture racing, but are not an official part of it.
World Championship
The concept of kinetic sculpture racing originated in Ferndale, CaliforniaFerndale, California
Ferndale is a city in Humboldt County, California, United States. Known for its well-preserved Victorian buildings, the city's population was 1,371 at the 2010 census, down from 1,382 at the 2000 census...
in 1969 when local sculptor Hobart Brown
Hobart Brown
Hobart Ray Brown, was an American sculptor and the founder of Kinetic Sculpture Racing.-Early years:...
"improved" the appearance of his son's tricycle by welding on two additional wheels and other embellishments. Seeing this "Pentacycle," fellow artist Jack Mays challenged him to a race. Others later joined in creating a field of twelve machines that inaugurated the first race down Ferndale's Main Street during the town's annual art festival. Neither Hobart Brown nor Mays won; instead, the first winner was Bob Brown of Eureka, California
Eureka, California
Eureka is the principal city and the county seat of Humboldt County, California, United States. Its population was 27,191 at the 2010 census, up from 26,128 at the 2000 census....
whose sculpture was a smoke-emitting Turtle that laid eggs. The race received broad publicity when photos of Congressman Don Clausen
Donald H. Clausen
Donald Holst Clausen is a former U.S. Representative from California.Born in Ferndale, California, Clausen graduated from elementary and high schools of Ferndale. He attended San José State University, California Polytechnic State University , Weber State University , and Saint Mary's College of...
riding the Pentacycle were seen nationally.
The event was repeated in 1970, and the course subsequently expanded to include cross-country terrain. When affiliated races were initiated in other cities and the course grew, the Ferndale event became the World Championship, and has grown into the largest single event in Humboldt County.
During the 1970s, the race adopted its present three day, cross-country format and became the "Triathlon of the Art World." Machines tackled mud, sand, water, gravel and pavement. Stan Bennett's book Crazy Contraptions chronicles the first five years of the race. In the early 1980s, Hobart Brown was referred to as the "Glorious Founder of the Kinetic Race" in a spectators' brochure.
As the 1980s ended, Calistoga Mineral water company began sponsoring the race, which adopted a family-friendly approach. Soon after, Yakima Products inc. a local manufacturer of sports racks and car storage boxes became interested in the race. The sponsors' financial support—especially the creation of the Kinetic Lab in Arcata—took the race to a new level of art and engineering. The Lab's 83-foot-long sculpture Nightmare of the Iguana was the longest ever raced.
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
limited his activities, he sold the race rights, the kinetic chicken logo and the trademark "For the Glory" slogan to a new not-for-profit agency called the Humboldt Kinetic Association in 2002.
Humboldt Bay
Humboldt Bay is a natural bay and a multi-basin, bar-built coastal lagoon located on the rugged North Coast of California, United States entirely within Humboldt County. The regional center and county seat of Eureka and the college town of Arcata adjoin the bay, which is the second largest enclosed...
and the Eel River
Eel River (California)
The Eel River is a major river system of the northern Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. Approximately 200 miles long, it drains a rugged area in the California Coast Ranges between the Sacramento Valley and the ocean. For most of its course, the river flows northwest, parallel to the...
and includes a series of dramatic sand dunes known as "June's Dunes" and the aptly named "Dead Man's Drop" and the challenging Eel River exit at Morgan's Slough. The race begins on Arcata Plaza with the Saturday noon whistle; the race goes through Eureka
Eureka, California
Eureka is the principal city and the county seat of Humboldt County, California, United States. Its population was 27,191 at the 2010 census, up from 26,128 at the 2000 census....
and Loleta
Loleta, California
Loleta is a census-designated place in Humboldt County, California. It is located south of Fields Landing, at an elevation of 46 feet . The population was 783 at the 2010 census....
before reaching the finish line on the third day on Main Street in Ferndale.
The race is broadcast live on local radio station KHUM
KHUM
KHUM is a commercial Freeform music radio station in Ferndale, California, broadcasting to Humboldt County, Mendocino County, as well as Eureka, California, Arcata, California, and Humboldt State University on 104.7 FM. KHUM also broadcasts on translator K282AD 104.3 FM...
.
Changing economics caused the sport rack company to leave the area and the water company to end their sponsorship. With no major sponsor and several years of county budget cutbacks reflecting statewide budget difficulties, in 2007 a single private donor provided 99% of the race's operating funds.
In early 2007, Humboldt Kinetic Association abjured responsibility for the race. Race volunteers rapidly created Kinetic Universe, a new not-for-profit, to manage the 2007 race. In 2009, the New Belgium Brewing Company
New Belgium Brewing Company
New Belgium Brewing Company is a regional brewery located in Fort Collins, Colorado. It opened in 1991 after Jeff Lebesch, the brewery's founder, took his home-brewing passion commercial. In 2009, it produced over 582,000 barrels of its various labels...
became a sponsor.
East Coast Championship in Baltimore
In 1999, the American Visionary Art MuseumAmerican Visionary Art Museum
The American Visionary Art Museum is an art museum located in the Federal Hill neighborhood at 800 Key Highway in Baltimore, Maryland and that specializes in the preservation and display of visionary art...
(AVAM) in Baltimore worked with Hobart Brown to start the first race in the Eastern United States, and has continued to sponsor the race every year since. On May 7, 2011, twenty-six teams brought 33 sculptures to Baltimore for the 13th annual East Coast Championship. The fourteenth annual race is scheduled for Saturday, May 5, 2012.
In contrast to the rural flair of Humboldt County, the Baltimore race spans the city's urban center and is completed in a single day. The 15-mile race begins with morning opening ceremonies and the start at AVAM on the south side of the Inner Harbor
Inner Harbor
The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and iconic landmark of the City of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Described by the Urban Land Institute in 2009 as “the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the World.” The Inner Harbor is actually the end of the...
, continues past well-known sites including Federal Hill, the Maryland Science Center
Maryland Science Center
The Maryland Science Center, located in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, opened to the public in 1976. It includes three levels of exhibits, a planetarium, and an observatory. It was one of the original structures that drove the revitalization of the Baltimore Inner Harbor from its industrial roots to a...
, Harborplace
Harborplace
Harborplace is a festival marketplace in Baltimore, Maryland, that opened in 1980 as a centerpiece of the revival of downtown Baltimore. As its name suggests, it is located on the Inner Harbor....
, the USS Constellation
USS Constellation (1854)
USS Constellation constructed in 1854 is a sloop-of-war and the second United States Navy ship to carry this famous name. According to the US Naval Registry the original frigate was disassembled on 25 June 1853 in Gosport Navy Yard in Norfolk, Virginia, and the sloop-of-war was constructed in the...
, the National Aquarium, and Fells Point, has a water entry at Canton, an obstacle course at Patterson Park
Patterson Park
Patterson Park is a public park in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. The park is bordered by East Baltimore Street on the north, Eastern Avenue on the south, South Patterson Park Avenue on the west, and South Linwood Avenue on the east...
, and then returns through the city to the finish line at AVAM in the late afternoon. An awards ceremony at AVAM concludes the event.
In 2002, the race included a crossing of the ice rink in Patterson Park, a challenging extension of the all-terrain aspect.
However, in the years since then the race has been held later in the spring to benefit from warmer weather—after the rink is closed for the season.
Rutabaga Queens and other numeraries
Early in the history of the Championship, contestants began to select an annual Rutabaga Queen. with active Queens Pigtunia Swineheart (83/84), Queen Denise Ryles 2001, Queen Mo "Mo Betta" Burke 2002, Queen Mair "Jane Doe" Dodd 2003, Queen Monica Topping 2004, Queen Shaye "Flamebouyant Femme Fatale" Harty 2005, Queen Harmony "Foxy Biloxi" Groves 2006, Queen Emma "Emma the Emchantress" Breacain 2007, Queen Kati "Lotta Paintbuckets" Texas 2008, Queen Jermaine "Jermajesty" Brubaker 2009, and Queen Jennifer "Dinah Might" Thelander 2010.The 2004, 2005 and 2006 Queens are the founding members of the board of directors of a new non-profit entity, Kinetic Universe Inc., which now administers the Kinetic Grand Championship, 3-day Arcata to Ferndale Kinetic Sculpture Race.
Other Kinetic Races select different botanical Queens, including the Rose-Hips Queen of Port Townsend, Washington. In Australia, having already a real queen, the race selects a Goddess to rule over the festivities instead.
See also
- IdiotarodIdiotarodThe Idiotarod is a shopping cart race in which teams of five "idiots" tie themselves to a grocery store shopping cart and run through the streets of a major metropolitan area. The race usually features people in costumes and themed floats. The races are fun competitions where sabotage, costume,...
- Portland Urban IditarodPortland Urban IditarodThe Portland Urban Iditarod is a race in which teams of people pull shopping carts through a course over four miles through downtown Portland, Oregon. This race occurs on the first Saturday of March—the same date as the actual Alaskan Iditarod—and has also taken place in Los Angeles, San...
- Wife carryingWife CarryingWife carrying is a sport in which male competitors race while each carrying a female teammate. The objective is for the male to carry the female through a special obstacle track in the fastest time...
- Wok racingWok racingWok racing has been developed by the German TV host and entertainer Stefan Raab: Modified Chinese woks are used to make timed runs down an Olympic bobsled track. There are competitions for one-person-woksleds and four-person-woksleds, the latter using four woks per sled.- History :Wok racing was...
- ZoobombZoobombZoobomb is a weekly bicycling activity in Portland, Oregon, United States during which participants ride bicycles rapidly downhill in the city's West Hills. Zoobomb began in 2002....
External links
- KHUM radio, which covers the Humboldt County event.
World Championship
- Kinetic Grand Championship race information for the 39th Annual Grand Championship Kinetic Sculpture Race.
- Rutabaga Queens
- Photographs of 2006 race in the water
- Photos of the 2008 Race in Eureka
Other Races
- KineticBaltimore.com including an extensive photo library of the East Coast Championship; Baltimore, Maryland
- Klamath Kinetic Challenge Klamath Falls, Oregon
- Da Vinci Days Kinetic Challenge in Corvallis, Oregon
- Prescott Valley, Arizona Kinetic Sculpture Race
- Port Townsend, Washington Kinetic Sculpture Race
- Kinetic Sculpture Race of Ventura, California
- Colorado Kinetic Sculpture Events