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Sections |
National
parade comes to mid-state |
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Cows
in By MARUJA
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Cow
Parade is one of the most unique public art shows in the world. It also is
the largest. Since its
conception in 1999 with only two showings in Other
than showcasing a unique piece of art, Cow Parade lends itself to a good
cause. After every show, all the
cows are auctioned off with all proceeds going to local charities.
The first show in Cow
Parade has a certain charm that no other art show modeled after it can
possess, and it stems from its choice model, cows.
The show has been imitated using all sorts of other creatures ranging
anywhere from mermaids and pigs, to angels and potato heads. They themselves
have been successful, but yet still can not match the draw of the cows.
Cows have the unique ability to be modified any way the artist can
imagine and still retain their distinctive look.
Arguably the most popular farm animal, cows grab the hearts of both
the old and the young and are also associated with being the source of milk,
one of the most important ingredients in favorites such as ice cream and
Hershey’s chocolate. Using
cows as art isn’t the only thing that makes Cow Parade unique.
Every single cow that is exhibited is painted by artists in the area
as opposed to bringing cows that have already been painted on an
international tour. Upon
arriving to a location, a white unpainted herd awaits local artists.
An “open call to artists” is held where artists show their best
works in hopes to get chosen. The
cows are then distributed among the chosen artists.
There are no limits set to how the cow can be used as an expression
of the artist, however, they would rather the cow represent something about
the community it is being showed in. Upon
completion, each artist is recognized with a plaque attached to the base of
the cow as well as mention in official publications.
Cow
Parade sends out a call not only to artists but also to businesses to
sponsor cows in the event. Local
businesses jump at the opportunity to both benefit a good cause and make use
of the bovine as advertisement. While
some businesses allowed their sponsored artist to design their own cow, most
choose to have the artists design imaginative billboards on the cow.
The Patriot-News sponsored a cow by Holly Blyer titled “Breaking
Moos Cow”, in which the newspaper breaks through a red cow to go along
with the old joke about newspapers being “black and white and red all
over.” The city of
The
“open call to artists” allowed artists of varying ages and art styles to
showcase their art. Fine artists
paint cows that stand next to cows painted by high school students, college
professors, graphic designers and others.
Such a wide variety of influences and artistic talents only add to
the whole experience of the show. “I
love that so many students were involved in the show.
It gives young people hope that they can achieve their dreams
somehow,” said Beckett. The main focus of Cow
Parade is to be fun and entertaining to the general public who may not
always find time to enjoy art for whatever their reasons.
“Art is about breaking down barriers. It gets people to feel, to
think, to react. So when you come across life-sized cow sculptures that have
been covered in mirrors or gumdrops, cows that have been painted with
elaborate themes or transformed into something else entirely, you can’t
help but stop and think about what it means,” said Peter Hanig, Cow Parade
event organizer. “All your
preconceived ideas go out the window. Suddenly people see that art can be
fun and that art can be interesting to everyone, not just people who
frequent museums.” All stories in this magazine are the intellectual property of the individual authors. You may email comments about this story to: mxr300@psu.edu
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