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eBay, Project Backboard, and Artist Carlos Rolón Partner on Exclusive Artist-Designed Basketballs for Charity
[February 19, 2019]

eBay, Project Backboard, and Artist Carlos Rolón Partner on Exclusive Artist-Designed Basketballs for Charity


SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- eBay is offering a special charity sale of basketballs by Chicago-based artist Carlos Rolón in two limited edition designs to benefit Project Backboard. Available at ebay.com/carlosrolon, all proceeds support Project Backboard's efforts to improve public outdoor basketball courts and collaborate with artists to create unique spaces for play, including an upcoming renovation in San Juan, Puerto Rico that were damaged by Hurricane Maria.

The Open Edition ($80, pink basketball with banana leaf), titled “Salinas” (2018) comes with a carrier net bag. Image Courtesy Carlos Rolón Studio & Project Backboard.

With only 100 available, the limited Artist Edition ($210, chartreuse basketball with floral prints), titled "Pa'Lante" (2018) is hand-signed by Rolón and includes a wood embossed ring stand and signed letter of authenticity. The Open Edition ($80, pink basketball with banana leaf), titled "Salinas" (2018) comes with a carrier net bag. The designs of the basketballs were inspired by Carlos Rolón's Puerto Rican origins and the floral patterns on the balls are a direct reference to the flora and fauna of his native country. Both pieces were displayed at All-Star Weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina.

"With this special artist-designed exclusive, we're giving our 179 million active buyers a chance to own limited edition artworks that make a difference," said Sam Bright, Vice President of Merchandising at eBay, North America. "This event is uniquely eBay, illustrating how the power of our platform can connect buyers and sellers across the intersection of art, culture, and sports to impact important causes."

"The design on the 'Pa'Lante' basketball is drawn from a new body of work created for my solo exhibition at the New Orleans Museum of Art, featuring paintings that pay homage to my Puerto Rican heritage," said artist Carlos Rolón. "It's a nice collector's item, and will help support Project Backboard through this eBay for Charity sale."

"I'm very excited to collaborate with eBay to assist Carlos and I with our efforts to revitalize basketball courts in Puerto Rico, added Dan Peterson of Project Backboard. "



Project Backboard renovates public outdoor basketball courts and collaborates with local artists to create site-specific works of art for the court surface in order to strengthen communities and inspire multi-generational play. Project Backboard has worked in cities around the United States including Memphis, TN; Los Angeles, CA; Cincinnati, OH; and New Rochelle, NY.

About eBay for Charity
eBay for Charity helps enable members of the eBay community to connect with and support their favorite charities when they buy or sell in the U.S. and abroad. Sellers can donate up to 100 percent of the proceeds to a charity of their choice, while buyers can add a donation to their purchase during checkout. To date, nearly $102 million dollars has been raised for charity by the eBay community. 


About Artist Carlos Rolón
Rolón has had solo exhibitions at The Dallas Contemporary, Dallas; Bass Museum of Art, Miami; Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, UK; Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico; Museo de Arte de Ponce, San Juan, Puerto Rico; New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA and CAM Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis. His work has also been exhibited in group shows at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Marta Herford Museum, Herford, Germany; Museum Het Domein, Sittard, The Netherlands; Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego; Museo del Barrio, New York and Centro Atlantico de Arte Moderno (CAAM), Canary Islands; Oakland University Art Gallery, Michigan and Museo de Arte de Ponce, Puerto Rico.

In 2007, Rolón represented Ukraine in the 52nd Venice Biennale. He is a recipient of the Joan Mitchell Foundation award for Painting and Sculpture. Rolón's work is included in the following public collections: Bass Museum of Art, Miami; Brooklyn Museum, New York; City of Chicago Public Art Collection; Deagu Art Museum, Deagu; Museo del Barrio, New York; Museo de Arte de Ponce, Puerto Rico; Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan; Museum Het Domein, Sittard, The Netherlands; Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego; Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City; New Orleans Museum of Art and Pinchuk Art Centre, Kiev, Ukraine, among others.

The designs of the eBay exclusive basketballs were inspired by Carlos Rolón’s Puerto Rican origins and the floral patterns on the balls are a direct reference to the flora and fauna of his native country.

The limited Artist Edition ($210, chartreuse basketball with floral prints), titled "Pa'Lante” (2018) is hand-signed by Rolón and includes a wood embossed ring stand and signed letter of authenticity. Image Courtesy Carlos Rolón Studio & Project Backboard.

One of Project Backboard’s courts in use in Miami in December 2018. Image courtesy of BFAnyc.

Chicago-based artist Carlos Rolón and Project Backboard are partnering with eBay on a special charity sale of basketballs in two limited edition designs. Installation at eBay's All-Star Drop in Charlotte at "The Vault" in partnership with HighSnobiety.

eBay for Charity (PRNewsfoto/eBay for Charity)

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SOURCE eBay for Charity


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