NEW ORLEANS BUBBLE BEAD DOG SCULPTURES
Art can be an individual expression, it can be for private sale, or in a gallery or museum, but when art is a public project meant to be shared with all for a good cause it can be very powerful. There are wonderful examples of public art sculptures and murals around the world. Cities often fund sculptures or murals, but a new venue is one we are all becoming more familiar with. The original idea came from a Swiss architect and then was brought to the United States. We have seen it with the Cows on Parade Sculptures in Chicago, horses in Kentucky and pigs in Cleveland and fish and more in other towns...but it is when a city or area choses one basic form they reproduce and choose many different artist to participate in decorating them. Usually another part of the fund raising is when the sculptures are auctioned off.
Recently when I was in New Orleans I noticed funny looking little bubble dog sculptures about, all decorated differently. I wondered what it was about. I even took a few pictures from a moving car, not great photo's, but you will get the idea.
The following is a description by a New Orleans publication Nola of what the project is about:
With dozens of bulbous, canine-esque statues dotting Metairie and New Orleans, the push to raise awareness of animal cruelty is in full swing. The sculptures, dubbed “bead dogs,” are helping to spread the message of the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals by mimicking earlier public art projects that produced vibrantly painted streetcars and
fish along the sidewalks.
So far 32 sculptures have been installed in the Paws on Parade effort, with another score being built, LeBlanc said. The pieces are in Metairie and New Orleans, and the SPCA is open to installing them in communities farther away from the city center, she said.
A side note is a project I did with young students when I was teaching. We had studied the Cows on Parade in Chicago and decided to do a public art project with the students and raise funds for a reading program at our school. The project brought together students, artists, businesses, galleries, and the community. It was called Deer on Parade. I will talk more of this in a separate article for art teachers. It was a highly successful project that brought together over 25 artists, 400 students, the Florida Craftsmen Art Guild, and the community of St. Petersburg. Everyone involved in the project felt as if it was magic!
Art can be an individual expression, it can be for private sale, or in a gallery or museum, but when art is a public project meant to be shared with all for a good cause it can be very powerful. There are wonderful examples of public art sculptures and murals around the world. Cities often fund sculptures or murals, but a new venue is one we are all becoming more familiar with. The original idea came from a Swiss architect and then was brought to the United States. We have seen it with the Cows on Parade Sculptures in Chicago, horses in Kentucky and pigs in Cleveland and fish and more in other towns...but it is when a city or area choses one basic form they reproduce and choose many different artist to participate in decorating them. Usually another part of the fund raising is when the sculptures are auctioned off.
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| from google image |
Recently when I was in New Orleans I noticed funny looking little bubble dog sculptures about, all decorated differently. I wondered what it was about. I even took a few pictures from a moving car, not great photo's, but you will get the idea.
 |
| New Orleans/Metairie photo by Elizabeth Gordon |
With dozens of bulbous, canine-esque statues dotting Metairie and New Orleans, the push to raise awareness of animal cruelty is in full swing. The sculptures, dubbed “bead dogs,” are helping to spread the message of the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals by mimicking earlier public art projects that produced vibrantly painted streetcars and
fish along the sidewalks.
So far 32 sculptures have been installed in the Paws on Parade effort, with another score being built, LeBlanc said. The pieces are in Metairie and New Orleans, and the SPCA is open to installing them in communities farther away from the city center, she said.
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| New Orleans/Metairie photo by Elizabeth Gordon |
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