A Little Info About the
Party Animals
and Where They Went
by: Peggy Knight
This worldwide animals-as-art rage began
in Zurich in 1998, when artists distributed hundreds of whimsical
fiberglass cows about the city to the delight of all. Next, Chicago —
in honor of its stockyards and Mrs. O'Leary's lantern-kicking heifer —
staged "Cows on Parade." Not to be outdone by the Second City,
New York soon followed with its own bovine event. Baltimore, Bilbao and
New Orleans have had their fish; Orlando, its lizards. Flamingos and
Miami were a match, as were Peoria and pigs. By
mid-2002, more than 100 such exhibitions had
been mounted.
The money
flows this way: A city's "commission for the arts &
humanities" gives small stipends to artists they judge worthy of
doing the work. And then the displays bring in lots of tourists and
tourist dollars plus money for related items such as t-shirts, mugs,
etc. Finally an auction brings in money to the commission to fund
additional projects and good deeds. Here, the DC Commission of the
Arts & Humanities provided the stipends. The artists chosen
to design a donkey and elephant pair were selected
in February 2002. Each
received a $1000 grant plus $200
for supplies to paint the sculptures.
Design criteria called for
original, creative artwork. The
auction was held in Oct. 2002, both on-line and as a live event. All
funds raised from the Official Party Animals Auction will support the
grants and art education programs of the DC Commission of the Arts &
Humanities. Avg. auction price
per party animal was $4,500 and the range was about $1,000 -
$12,000.