As part of our 90th Anniversary Celebration, the Mountain Club of Maryland is looking into participating in the annual American Visionary Art Museum’s Kinetic Sculpture Race. The Race starts at the Museum, goes around the Baltimore harbor to Waterfront park, up to Patterson Park and back to the Museum. We have targeted the 2025 event, which will take place on the first Saturday of May 2025, for our possible participation. Go to the bottom of the avam.org web site for details on the Race and a sampling of floats that participate. Tens of thousands of people watch and take part in the event every year providing an exceptional platform to promote the Mountain Club.
Some basics on floats:
- They are human powered, typically by bicycles or bicycle parts.
- They must be able to float and move around a dock in the harbor.
- They must be able to negotiate mud and sand obstacle courses.
Some initial thoughts:
- Create a “Mountain” float, perhaps with hikers and forest animals.
- Have hikers on a conveyor belt powering the movement of the float.
What we would need in order to participate:
- People who have design, engineering, construction and budgeting skills.
- A place to work
- A way of transporting the float to the race and back.
- A place to store the float.
Building a Kinetic Sculpture entry would be a large and sophisticated undertaking, which would involve significant design and construction work. If you’re up for the challenge and have some ideas about an entry, please email Jon Hyman at jonadjoint@gmail.com