Most agree that in America, the trend began in the summer of 1999 with “Cows on Parade™ in Chicago”. This whimsical exhibition featured over 300 life-sized fiberglass cows, hand-painted by local artists, that were found grazing in the parks and lounging on sidewalks throughout the city of Chicago. Eventually, these beautiful bovines were rounded up and auctioned off for charity, creating a coast-to-coast craze that would soon become known as “American Art Parades.”
There were Pigs in Cincinnati. Guitars in Cleveland and Nashville. Fish in Baltimore. Mermaids in Norfolk. Donkeys and Elephants in Washington, DC. Hearts in San Francisco. Buffalo in Buffalo, New York and Oklahoma City. Snoopys in St. Paul. Seagulls in Salt Lake City. Rescue Dogs in New York City. Lions in Sacramento. Painted Ponies in Santa Fe... and the parades continued.
What made these public art projects unique, in addition to the amazing, original art they produced, was the way they brought communities together. Cities, businesses, artists and philanthropic organizations forged alliances and developed a new paradigm for partnerships, with art at its very core. As you read through this book you will be struck by how these extraordinary public art exhibitions sparked new interest in cultural tourism and downtown redevelopment, not to mention creating an awareness of important cultural issues, all while raising millions of dollars for worthy art, educational, environmental, animal, social and health organizations.
American ArtParades captures the spirit and distinctive vision behind each of these imaginative, bigger-than-life, community art projects, while featuring sensational examples of the creativity that they expressed. American ArtParades introduces this “New American Art Movement” to the contemporary art scene.
Read about how American ArtParades was created and the secret formula that communities developed to engage artists, sponsors and non-profits in these public art parades. Nathan Mason, Curator of Special Projects for the Department of Cultural Affairs in Chicago, discusses the Cows on Parade phenomenon and how it all began...read on...Foreword, Introduction, and Preface
