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Rhoads' sculptures have been installed in public spaces and private collections around the world. The pieces range in size from small wall-mounted sculptures to machines that fill entire rooms and span multiple stories. Some of his work belongs to permanent museum collections at institutions like the
238:. This meeting sparked Rhoads' interest and he began practicing origami and inventing new folds. His most notable contribution to the field became known as the Blintzed Bird Base, now a standard origami fold used for creating an animal with four legs, two ears and a tail from a single sheet of paper.
230:
with the goal of studying physics and mathematics. After earning enough credits to complete his associate degree, he began taking design and drawing classes at the Art
Institute in Chicago. Two years, later he left Chicago and moved to New York City to become a painter. His work focused on portraits
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in New York City, which ushered in a period of production for larger, monumental ball machine sculptures. In these large machines, chain-driven lifters carry balls to the top of the sculpture. Then, using only gravity, the balls travel down several different tracks that loop, twist and spiral. The
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Rhoads' sculptures became known for their precise clockwork-like mechanisms governed by weight and timing while still maintaining the appearance of spontaneity and randomness. He promoted the concept that the machine itself was a work of art, and his pieces were designed to demystify machinery and
347:
In 2007, Creative
Machines (located in Tucson, Arizona) took over the creation of Rhoads' sculptures and continues the tradition of Rhoads' artwork. The company continues to use the techniques developed by Rhoads in its ball machine sculptures by incorporating similar fabrication methods, design
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In the 1960s, Rhoads began experimenting with kinetic sound-producing metal sculptures. As he described these early machines, "You have a whole range of things happening in succession. Little balls rolling down a track are the motive power that hits a hammer that hits a xylophone bar or blows a
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In response to the growing number of commissions, Rhoads partnered Robert McGuire to create his sculptures at RockStream
Studios in Ithaca, New York. The studio and Rhoads' whimsical sculptures were later featured in an episode of the American children's television series,
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280:. In the early 1970s, the shopping mall magnate David Bermant commissioned him to build audiokinetic sculptures for his shopping centers in Rochester, New York, and Hamden, Connecticut, and for years afterward continued to promote and sell Rhoads' work.
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balls trigger motion, hit objects, strike bells, gongs, chimes, drums and even xylophone bars, allowing each machine to create its own music. Once the ball reaches the bottom of the sculpture, it is lifted to the top and the process continues.
288:, said of Rhoads' sculptures: "they embody almost every basic element of machinery, combined in a bewildering variety of ways. There's a level of mechanical genius behind inventing complex mechanisms."
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In 1952, Rhoads moved to Paris to continue painting. It was there that he met the
American origami expert Gershon Legman who introduced him to the art of origami and the work of
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Rhoads was born in
Evanston, Illinois, the oldest of four children. His father, Paul S. Rhoads, was a physician and professor of internal medicine at
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that was installed at the
Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. It was replaced with a pair of new machines, jointly titled
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Rhoads continued to develop his audio-kinetic sculptures and his work gained national prominence after being fshown on
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hired him to invent devices to use in his metal fountains. Eventually, Rhoads began creating fountains of his own.
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in airports, science museums, shopping malls, children's hospitals, and other public places throughout the world.
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This is one of many devices created for the Bolas
Bulliciosas Ball Machine, located in Parque Plaza Sesamo in
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and is said to hold the attention of viewers for much longer than many of the other exhibits housed there.
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stimulate viewer reaction. Modernist sculptor and
Professor Emeritus at Princeton University,
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whistle." After seeing an exhibit of Rhoads' ball machines in
Greenwich Village, the sculptor
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In 1981, Rhoads was commissioned to build a sculpture entitled 42nd Street
Ballroom for the
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Chockablock Clock Ball Machine, located in Strawberry Square, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
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and impressionistic cityscapes, but he was not critically or financially successful.
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Franklin Institute of Science, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "Newton's Convergence"
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729:; 4) Holiday for Technology at Allen Bradley Company; 5) Peaceaball Kingdom at
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223:. His mother, Hester Chapin Rhoads, was trained as an interior decorator.
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elements and strategies for making reliable, long lasting sculptures.
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947:, season 29, episode 13: "When Things Get Broken", March 25, 1999.
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Rhoads created his first rolling ball machine in the late 1950s.
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In 1990, Rhoads created a kinetic rolling ball sculpture titled
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195:(January 27, 1926 – July 9, 2021) was a contemporary American
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The "Gizmo" in Champlain Centre Mall, Plattsburgh, New York
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964:"Clumper Upper to Wok Dumper to Chute to Helix to Block"
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Columbia Presbyterian Babies & Children's Hospital
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Secrets of Origami: The Japanese Art of Paper Folding
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891:. The David Bermant Foundation: Color, Light, Motion
503:Pythagorean Fantasy, College of Engineering at the
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1115:Wizard at Work: The Life and Art of George Rhoads
1203:
1183:. Philadelphia, PA: Running Press Kids. p.
1032:"George Rhoads: Ball Machine Sculpture Catalog"
318:New York/New Jersey Port Authority Bus Terminal
1091:"A Love Note to the Plattsburgh Ball Machine"
731:University Children's Hospital at Chapel Hill
360:, France, on July 9, 2021, at the age of 95.
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207:master. He was best known for his whimsical
914:"Creative Machines Ball Machine Sculptures"
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16:American painter and sculptor (1926–2021)
1118:. Indianapolis, IN: Dog Ear Publishing.
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547:National Taiwan Science Education Center
461:Global Enerjoy, Future Energy Pavilion,
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1139:. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications Inc.
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717:1) Perpetuball Motion Machine No. 1 at
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1179:Steven Caney's Ultimate Building Book
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989:
162:University Hospitals, Cleveland, Ohio
242:Audiokinetic ball machine sculptures
1037:. Creative Machines. Archived from
919:. Creative Machines. Archived from
575:National Taiwan University Hospital
491:Stepping Stones Museum for Children
405:, Terminal A, Boston, Massachusetts
13:
456:Philadelphia International Airport
14:
1263:
1157:Conversations with Seth: Book Two
1089:Finckel, Joe (November 2, 2019).
477:Los Angeles International Airport
356:Rhoads died at his son's home in
755:
743:
706:
629:Butler Institute of American Art
1242:21st-century American sculptors
1237:20th-century American sculptors
1227:Artists from Evanston, Illinois
1160:. Needham: Moment Point Press.
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305:This is a sketch of one of the
1232:21st-century American painters
1222:20th-century American painters
1112:Johnson, Emily Rhoads (2011).
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850:
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521:, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
1:
962:Weigang, Jim (October 1988).
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727:Chesapeake Energy Corporation
723:The Tech Museum of Innovation
694:Westinghouse Electric Company
561:Chesapeake Energy Corporation
410:The Tech Museum of Innovation
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152:Chesapeake Energy Corporation
1247:University of Chicago alumni
945:Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
458:, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
437:, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
7:
690:American Scientific Company
556:, Charleston, West Virginia
396:Port Authority Bus Terminal
295:Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
140:Port Authority Bus Terminal
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1154:Watkins, Susan M. (2006).
725:; 3) Tower of Sisyphus at
699:
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309:created by George Rhoads,
554:Avampato Discovery Museum
479:, Los Angeles, California
470:Akron Children's Hospital
454:Celestial Balldergarten,
250:George Rhoads building a
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154:, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
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109:
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30:
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769:Boston Museum of Science
764:Archimedean Excogitation
721:2) Science on a Roll at
622:Art Institute of Chicago
563:, Oklahoma City Oklahoma
533:Discovery Communications
526:Science Centre Singapore
444:, Costa Mesa, California
442:Discovery Science Center
417:Archimedean Excogitation
351:
342:Art Institute of Chicago
1252:Sculptors from Illinois
1133:Harbin, Robert (1997).
638:, Hartford, Connecticut
582:Edmonton science centre
468:Incrediball Circus II,
449:Papalote Museo del Nino
424:, Boston, Massachusetts
221:Northwestern University
209:audiokinetic sculptures
114:Audiokinetic sculptures
37:George Rhoads with his
1175:Caney, Steven (2006).
605:
580:Electric Ball Circus,
505:University of Colorado
500:, Salt Lake City, Utah
493:, Norwalk, Connecticut
412:, San Jose, California
401:Exercise in Fugality,
394:42nd Street Ballroom,
387:
377:ball machine sculpture
313:
254:
252:rolling ball sculpture
158:Ontario Science Center
148:, Salt Lake City, Utah
138:42nd Street Ballroom,
41:, "Peaceaball Kingdom"
600:
519:Adventure of the Seas
451:, Mexico City, Mexico
447:Maquina del Vacilon,
375:is a baseball-themed
371:
364:Selected public works
304:
263:Hans Van de Bovenkamp
249:
228:University of Chicago
104:Chicago Art Institute
100:University of Chicago
1044:on February 26, 2015
926:on February 25, 2015
820:"Machines That Play"
767:can be found at the
615:Museum of Modern Art
542:, Glenview, Illinois
535:, Bethesda, Maryland
482:Life Renews Itself,
398:, New York, New York
340:in New York and the
338:Museum of Modern Art
330:Newton's Convergence
226:Rhoads attended the
51:George Pitney Rhoads
809:, pp. 236–244.
680:Yevgeny Yevtushenko
593:Museums/collections
570:, Las Vegas, Nevada
559:Tower of Sisyphus,
507:, Boulder, Colorado
496:Newton's Daydream,
484:Ōsaka Namba Station
408:Science on a Roll,
150:Tower of Sisyphus,
144:Newton's Daydream,
1097:. Plattsburgh, NY.
866:. December 8, 1987
733:; 6) Zippy Zoo at
687:William Marsteller
636:Wadsworth Atheneum
631:, Youngstown, Ohio
606:
603:Monterrey, Mexico.
586:West Edmonton Mall
514:, Phoenix, Arizona
435:Franklin Institute
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160:, Toronto, Ontario
863:The Village Voice
659:Leonard Bernstein
573:Magic Menagerie,
549:, Taipei, Taiwan.
498:Clark Planetarium
422:Museum of Science
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648:, Lubbock, Texas
646:Science Spectrum
577:, Taipei, Taiwan
568:Scientific Games
566:Life is a Ball,
510:Based on Balls,
465:, Seville, Spain
463:Seville Expo '92
385:Phoenix, Arizona
379:in the plaza of
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1070:. July 21, 2021
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489:Color Coaster,
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517:Loopy Links,
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475:Angel Music,
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1135:
1114:
1106:Bibliography
1094:
1084:
1072:. Retrieved
1068:Ithaca Times
1067:
1058:
1046:. Retrieved
1039:the original
1007:. Retrieved
997:
985:
973:. Retrieved
967:
944:
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928:. Retrieved
921:the original
893:. Retrieved
868:. Retrieved
861:
852:
845:Watkins 2006
840:
828:. Retrieved
823:
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795:Johnson 2011
762:
673:David Elliot
524:Funkinetic,
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182:georgerhoads
134:Notable work
82:(2021-07-09)
80:July 9, 2021
39:ball machine
18:
1217:2021 deaths
1212:1926 births
1048:January 20,
1009:February 1,
975:January 20,
969:Smithsonian
930:January 20,
895:January 20,
870:January 20,
807:Harbin 1997
653:Collections
552:Cavortech,
545:Kinetikon,
528:, Singapore
512:Chase Field
381:Chase Field
332:, in 2017.
272:David Frost
171:Kinetic art
1206:Categories
990:Caney 2006
777:References
624:, Illinois
311:Earthworks
215:Early life
142:, New York
57:1926-01-27
830:March 24,
440:Uridice,
96:Education
1074:July 24,
531:Eureka,
201:sculptor
167:Movement
126:painting
90:, France
69:Illinois
65:Evanston
700:Gallery
609:Museums
205:origami
197:painter
177:Website
122:origami
1191:
1164:
1143:
1122:
431:(1990)
358:Chinon
88:Chinon
1042:(PDF)
1035:(PDF)
924:(PDF)
917:(PDF)
383:, in
352:Death
278:Today
1189:ISBN
1162:ISBN
1141:ISBN
1120:ISBN
1076:2021
1050:2015
1011:2024
977:2015
932:2015
897:2015
872:2015
832:2023
644:The
634:The
627:The
620:The
276:and
274:Show
270:The
203:and
184:.com
77:Died
47:Born
1185:347
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
