Broward County's cultural division is holding a sort-of scavenger hunt — for giant inflatable art installations.
It's a series of pop-up public art shows at parks and libraries called "Searching For Giants."
"All of them look like big toys, transforming in art pieces. People see something different, something massive, full of color and just air and fabric," Alejandro Mendoza said about the sculptures.
Mendoza, who founded the artists collective Giants In The City, worked with 15 artists to bring their visions and drawings to life as large-scale inflatable contemporary art pieces.
Now, he’s setting them up across Broward.
At Markham Park in Sunrise on Friday, he installed a 20 foot wide inflatable Yellow Submarine sculpture, complete with stitched-on Beatles illustrations by popular Venezuelan artist Eduardo Sanabria, otherwise known as simply EDO.
“The [Beatles’] song by itself was like a sign and symbol of freedom,” Mendoza said. “The artist I invited to make this, they tried to represent with this inflatable, and put a hole in the middle.”
Mendoza said that anyone who comes to visit can, "be a part of this symbol."
"We all live in a yellow submarine Yellow submarine, yellow submarineWe all live in a yellow submarine Yellow submarine, yellow submarine" - The Beatles 1966
The Yellow Submarine is on display at Markham Park through this weekend. It’s one of 19 sculptures by 15 different artists, who are traveling across the county to spark conversations about contemporary art. The installation is meant to lead up to an alternative-rock music festival the county is hosting in November, called Riptide, as well as other culture and fashion events.
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Next week, other inflatable giant sculptures will go up at the Broward library branch in Tamarac.
"People are even able to just drive by and witness the art. I love that we’re taking it out of galleries and out of museums and able to provide something that is new,” said Meredith Clements of the Broward Cultural Division.
Clements came up with the concept for the installation, which is meant to draw people in to interact with it, as it travels to each of the nine different county commission districts.
"Inflatable art kept coming up as an idea that would be really approachable. What I love about it is that it's so accessible," she said. “Art for the people.”
Here is where you can follow different inflatable sculptures as they travel around Broward this Fall:
Markham Park, Sunrise - 16001 West State Road 84. Sunrise, FL 33326
Sept. 13: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. / Sept. 14: 8 a.m. to midnight
Tamarac Branch Library - 8701 W Commercial Blvd, Tamarac, FL 33351
Sept. 18: 10 a.m.- 8 p.m. / Sept. 19: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Tree Tops Park, Davie - 3900 SW 100th Ave, Davie, FL 33328
Sept. 20-21: 8 a.m.- 7:30 p.m.
Pompano Beach Library & Cultural Center - 50 W Atlantic Blvd, Pompano Beach, FL 33060
Sept. 27-28: 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.
West Lake Park - 1200 Sheridan Street Hollywood, FL 33019
Oct. 4-5: 8 a.m.- 7:30 p.m.
Stirling Road Library - 3151 Stirling Rd, Hollywood, FL 33312
Oct. 10: noon-8 p.m.; Oct. 11: 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Miramar Library & Education Center - 2050 Civic Center Pl, Miramar, FL 33025
Oct. 18-19: 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Delevoe Park, Fort Lauderdale - 2520 NW 6th St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311
Oct. 25: 8 a.m.- 9 p.m.; Oct. 26: 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.
