Thursday, July 22, 2010

Thursday Thirteen 163: Artzoobilee

This summer, there is a special event taking place here at the Henry Vilas Zoo, Artzoobilee. More than 30 fiberglass animals are on display around the zoo through September 26. In October, animals will be auctioned, with proceeds benefitting the American Family Children's Hospital and Henry Vilas Zoo. Sadly, a few of the animals were already off display and visiting the "animal doctor," as some people refuse to control their kids and prevent them from hanging off the animals—this despite signs posted throughout asking patrons to treat animals "gently" and not climb on them. Touch them, take pictures of them, but remember that they are works of art.

Below are thirteen of those my sister and two nieces (cousins, not sisters) saw during a recent visit to the zoo. I posted two other animals earlier this week, and will post more throughout the next couple months. Some of these animals are so amazing that you really need to view them from different angles, so please do come back if you'd like to see more. Click on any image to enlarge.


You Are What You Eat (with youngest niece)
Artist: Alicia Rheal


Ty the Tiger
Artist: Kayla Proctor


Tiwanaku
Artist: Tom Kelly


Out of Africa
Artist: Ronna Duckowitz


People Watching
Artist: Alicia Rheal


Ham Radio
Artist: Kathy Armstrong


Fleming
Artist: Kari Fisher


Masai Mara
Artist: Suzanne Ellis


Fancy Bird
Artist: Sandra Bacon
(They really need a cordon like this around Fleming!)


Shere Ly-Khan
(This is the Madison skyline, looking across Lake Monona)
Artist: Dan Gardiner


Bo the Basketball Bear
(The UW men's basketball coach is Bo Ryan)
Artist: Dan Gardiner


Rosie (and youngest niece)
Artist: Aaron Wilbers


Melman (with another niece)
Artist: Stripe



LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:
(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)

Mama Zen * Kristen * Alice Audrey * Shelley Munro
Elise Logan * Adelle Laudan * Janice Seagraves
Tatiana Caldwell * Darla M Sands


More Thursday Thirteen participants




18 comments:

Kristen said...

Those are amazing! I love the giraffe wearing shorts.

Alice Audrey said...

Too cool! Can't wait to see them in person.

Shelley Munro said...

These are fun. We have decorated cows around Auckland a few years ago but the zoo animals are cooler.

Heather said...

Mama Zen: Aren't they just??

Kristen: "People Watching" was a big hit with our group, too. You can't see it in this picture, but he even has a camera around his neck and a "people watching" guide in his pocket.

Alice: They are definitely cooler in person.

Shelley: We had CowParade here in summer 2006 - there's a tag for it over in the sidebar. Pretty cool to get two so similar events within five years, no?

Darla M Sands said...

These are beautiful! The Outer Banks of North Carolina did something similar years ago with horses in front of different establishments. They were to honor the wild horses in the area and I absolutely loved some of the designs. Thank you for the reminder!

Heather said...

Darla: I bet the horses were cool to see. Glad to remind you of some happy memories!

Mia Celeste said...

Oh, these are great! People in my neighborhood have some on their lawn by their driveway. If I ever become really wealthy, I'd like to buy one of these, help a worthy cause and have a fun yard pet. For now, I'll just enjoy the pictures you've posted. Happy TT!

Divaa Divine said...

just outta this world - cute!

making my own mantra

Jana said...

Those are so awesome. Almost cooler than the cows. Almost. *bg*

JCB said...

Ham radio made me laugh outloud!

colleen said...

Very creative. I like the flamningo ande the lion's one leg.

I am Harriet said...

I've seen similar exhibits. They are really neat!

Have a great Thursday!
http://harrietandfriends.com/2010/07/did-your-parents-tell-you-any-food-fibs-to-entice-you-to-eat-or-skip-any-foods/

soleil said...

Those are pretty cool. I really like the penguin.

Heather said...

Brenda: Oh, that would be so neat to own something like this. And, as you say, it's for a good cause.

Divaa: I'm glad you liked!

Jana: Aw, a little partial to the cows, are we? Hehe...

lovesmukiwa: My older niece had to take a pic of "Ham radio" with her cell phone and email it to her grandfather as soon as we saw it. He made us laugh, too!

Heather said...

Colleen:I love the mosaic of the flamingo, and the lion's leg is just one reason why you have to see some of these animals from different angles. There is so much creativity and talent that goes into these!

Hariet: This is the second such exhibit Madison has hosted, the first being CowParade five years ago. I'm glad you have enjoyed similar experiences!

Jehara: "You Are What You Eat" was my favorite of the three penguins. I'll post pics of the other two in weeks to come!

Tatiana Caldwell said...

Wow, very creative. I really like the penguin and the goat.

Janice Seagraves said...

Oh those are wonderful. I think I like the penguin the best.

Happy TT.
Janice~

Elise Logan said...

Those are great. I think my fave is the penguin, but I also dig some of the others.

Thanks for sharing!