Artist Jon-Paul Wheatley brings his Badly Drawn Ball concept to Bal Harbour in a multipart installation.
Wheatley transforms soccer balls into sculptural objects and storytelling mediums.
This month, as Miami takes center stage as one of the FIFA World Cup 2026 host cities, Bal Harbour Village presents an extraordinary experience at Bal Harbour Shops that reframes and supersizes the world’s most iconic sporting object—the soccer ball.
The immersive art installation “Badly Drawn Ball” by multidisciplinary artist Jon-Paul Wheatley, founder of the soccer design studio 12 Pentagons, takes over the Center Courtyard through June 28. Presented by Bal Harbour Village, the installation explores the intersection of soccer, craftsmanship, design, and contemporary culture through Wheatley’s internationally recognized “Badly Drawn Ball” concept.
A selection of the crowd-sourced submissions that led to the making of Badly Drawn Ball.
Rooted in the unexpected (yet very human!) intersection of imperfection and mastery, the “Badly Drawn Ball” concept was inspired by hand-drawn soccer ball sketches submitted from individuals around the world: Five thousand people were asked to draw a soccer ball from memory. The results, which were lopsided, irregular, and sometimes brazenly wrong, were distilled into an actual item. The Badly Drawn Ball itself.
Guests are invited to participate directly, too. They can submit their own hand-drawn ball designs via iPad to join a growing global collection. A dedicated monitor showcases Wheatley’s process, offering a window into the craft and consideration behind each piece.
You can also take home a piece of this cultural phenomenon through an array of products produced in partnership with 12 Pentagons. Find this curated selection of Badly Drawn Balls, including one numbered edition, as well as a Make a Ball kit, on BalHarbourShops.com. The perfect gift for soccer and art lovers alike will only be available until July 19th so capture yours now.
Following its presentation at Bal Harbour Shops, the larger-than-life sculpture will relocate to Bal Harbour Village Beach from July 1 through July 27.
