Tuesday, March 13, 2007

CowParade: Pasture Bedtime

In honor of the recent change to Day Light Savings, I'm dipping into the photo vault and dusting off some cow pics not previously posted. What better way to get you in the mood for spring than by delving into the memories of seasons past?

For five months last year (June-Oct), 100 decorated fiberglass cows were on display in and around Madison. This particular bovine, located just outside the Capitol building, was so popular it was difficult to get any pictures of it, unless you happened to be up and about at an obscene hour of the morning. Which I wasn't, so I had to exercise patience and fast to get a few clear shots in between spectators. Created by Michael Roberts, the cow is called "Pasture Bedtime," and was covered with an assortment of clocks and watches.

In November 2006, the cows went to auction. 44 were sold at a live auction event that raised $363,500, and another 37 were auctioned off online, earning another $188,450 -- the highest online total since the Houston event in 2001. Monies raised went to various local charities, most notably the new American Family Children's Hospital here in Madison. Pasture Bedtime fetched the handsome price of $11,500. This was one of the highest bids, though two cows (Cowpiary and If You Want to be a Moosaic) sold for $13,000 each.


Kids and adults alike enjoyed the hands-on exploration of Pasture Bedtime...





Children loved the hands-on experience this cow provided -- not just the textures of the mosaic, but moveable clock hands as well.


The cow's name and "Timex" are spelled out across the back...

Note how even the eyes were created using clocks...




2 comments:

Jana said...

How did I miss this??? I swear, I checked your blog a TON and never saw this. LOL

Gotta say, though, this one's kinda creepy. Something about the eyes....LOL Very cool shots, though.

Heather said...

The eyes are creepy? Hmm...didn't seem that way to me. Sometimes I wonder at how your mind works. LOL