RedBall in Portland - brought to us from NYC

I wish we had architecture like this in Portland, but at least we will be graced with this very same RedBall next week, joining St. Louis, Barcelona and Sydney as the 4th city to host this traveling public art installation.

The 15-foot inflatable red ball will be wedged into different locations in Portland's architecture everyday next week, prompting residents to see their urban landscape with fresh eyes when the structures are juxtaposed with a absurdly surprising, giant red ball. It's gonna be SO AWESOME to see this person, but makes me the happiest about it all is the following...

A fortuitous pairing, Portland-based Kevin Carroll and New York-based Kurt Perschke came together recently through a mutual friend who recognized the enormous potential for synergy in their work. Upon communicating, Carroll, an author and internationally recognized inspirational presenter, and Perschke, an accomplished visual artist, were both struck by the coincidence of an interest in play, discovery, and imagination. This belief in the inherent value of play drew Carroll to Perschke’s work and RedBall Portland was born.

Yes, I may be promoting this event for work, but I really wanted to post it because it's the perfect example of a PONY collaboration - a NYC artist bringing his modern art to PDX, a city that's full of character-defining architecture (bridges, renovated warehouses, Michael Graves' classic Portland Building) and an adventurous and vibrant population (jeezus, do I sound like the visitors' bureau or what?). We're not the only ones who believe in PONYs.

Check back next week for pics of the RedBall at its Portland locations! In the meantime you can see a sketch of the first Portland location - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall - here.