About this project
I'm entering ArtPrize, a radically different kind of art competition with a very unique project. I'll be configuring 4,225 cubes into a mosaic of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The project will take about 90 hours over the course of 10 days. When the project is finished I will be donating the cubes to classrooms all across Michigan. The Rubik's Cube is a fun and tangible way for kids to learn about geometry and algebra, two areas of math that kids in MI are failing at. On a deeper level I'm hoping to highlight the connection between the fact that art and music programs are disappearing from MI schools and that assessment scores in math, sciences and history are plummeting. ArtPrize is open to anyone who wants to risk a $50 entry fee. It's also open to any business willing to become a venue during the event. Venues get to pick which artist they will have show in their space. Once the event begins the public floods downtown Grand Rapids for two weeks in a frantic attempt to see and vote on all the art they can (they vote via text message). Winners are chosen by the public vote and only the public vote. The top ten are calculated after 10 days, vote numbers a reset and the public gets 1 vote to cast on one of the top ten pieces. I'm hoping to be one of those top ten finishers because what makes this competition like no other is the purse... Over $400,000.00 is given out to the top ten finishers. First place rakes in a whopping $250,000 which, if I win, the majority of which will go to the Grand Rapids Public Schools. By supporting the PixelPete project you'll be giving kids in Michigan a chance to learn through the creative process and to experience an open-minded approach to education.
To learn more about the project please visit http://pixelpete2010.com.
FAQ
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5
Backers
$245
pledged of $5,000 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding Unsuccessful
This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on May 1, 2010.
Pledge $15 or more
Pledge $15 and enter your name in a raffle. What's the prize? I'll choose 1 name from the list of pledgers to be tattooed on my forearm. Your name, my arm, forever. Remember only one name will be chosen out of all the pledgers.
Pledge $100 or more
I'll give you an official PixelPete 2010 tee-shirt.
Pledge $750 or more
A Pete Fecteau original painting. I work with aerosol/enamel paints on wood or metal. The paintings vary in size with the smallest being 18"x24" and the largest at 48"x30". Here's a link to some sample paintings... http://buttonpresser.com/blog/and-he-paints-too/ . The top 5 have been sold but the bottom two are up for grabs.
Project By
Connected as Pete Fecteau (272 friends)
In 2010 I created "Dream Big" a mosaic of Dr. Martin Luther king Jr. that was made from 4,242 Rubik's Cubes. Using Rubik's Cube is a bit of a lark for me. I never intended to use them for artistic purposes when I first started solving them in 2008. The idea came to me in a dream, literally, and it was an uphill battle to bring the project from concept to completion.
I'm a designer by day. I moved to San Francisco recently to take up a fellowship with Code for America where I worked as a creative director of sorts, helping to design applications that make cities have an easier time doing X. All of our products are open-source and we promote transparency, openness, and efficiency within the governments we work with. The fellowship ends Nov. 19th, 2011 and I'll be finding a new home soon.
I have a passion for helping people, especially school kids. As a dyslexic I struggled through school and I want to make learning fun and effective. That's why the subject matter I choose for my mosaics have an added layer of history and education to them.
