Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race |
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| Engineering award winner Fire in Baltimore Harbor on May 3, 2014. Want to see more photos? |
 Saturday, May 2!Only 53 days until the 17th annual race! Build your kinetic sculpture now! The 2015 theme is OUT OF THIS WORLD, celebrating the 25th year of the Hubble Space Telescope. |
Complete Coverage of the 2014 Race
Learn about the race with our complete coverage of the
Volunteers: Mud! Sand! Kops! You!
The race needs volunteers like you! Learn more.
Racers: 2015 Entry Form Now Available!
May 2 is months away, but kinetic sculptures don’t build themselves! Prepare for the race by downloading the 2015 Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race Entry Form, which is due Wednesday, April 1.
Kinetics in the UK
Are you in the United Kingdom? This is your opportunity to join a Kinetic Race! See the “Other Races” postings on the Kinetic Forum.
Kinetic Forum
Wondering how to keep your sculpture from capsizing or where to get the best photos? Racers, volunteers, spectators, and other enthusiasts are welcome in our Kinetic Forum bulletin board to discuss all sorts of kinetic topics. Post your question!
Be a Kinetic Sponsor!
If your entity is interested in sponsoring the kinetic race, contact Abby Baer at the American Visionary Art Museum.
What’s a Kinetic Sculpture Race?
Kinetic Sculptures are amphibious, human powered works of art custom built for the race. Each May, the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) hosts the East Coast Kinetic Sculpture Race Championship on the shore of Baltimore’s Harbor in central Maryland. The eight-hour race covers 14 miles—mostly on pavement, but also including a trip into the Chesapeake Bay and through mud and sand.
Kinetic Sculpture Racing traces its roots to Ferndale, California in 1969 when artist Hobart Brown upgraded his son’s tricycle into a 5-wheeled pentacycle and was challenged to a race down Main Street. (Hobart did not win.) Over the decades since, the California race evolved into a 3-day all-terrain Kinetic Grand Championship including treacherous sand dunes, water crossings, and elaborate sculptures and costumes. You can learn more on Wikipedia.
For more about the Baltimore race, browse the race photo results in the left menu.
Where can I see Kinetic Sculptures?
You can go to a Kinetic Sculpture Race on the day(s) they run, or the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. AVAM displays Fifi and their other sculptures year round in the dedicated Sculpture Barn.
How to Build a Kinetic Sculpture
Learn from Elliot’s How To Build a Kinetic Sculpture reference guide.