SAN FRANCISCO—The animals at the San Francisco Zoo and Gardens have developed unique pieces of art for the inaugural “Animal Artists in Residence” project, according to a press release from the zoo. Up to 50 of the paintings will be up for auction at the zoo’s fundraiser event, Zoofest, on Saturday, April 30 starting at 6 p.m. The location for Zoofest is at the San Francisco Zoo and Gardens.
Select pieces of art will be available to the public on Ebay starting Thursday, April 21 to Friday, April 29. Some of the paintings that will be featured on Ebay are “Tenzig” created by a red panda, “Gauhati” created by a rhino, “Leeann” created by a Sumatran tiger, “Spice Girls” created by European ferrets, and “Angie” created by a mandrill. The listings on Ebay include a description of the “Animal Artists in Residence” project and information about the animal or animals that created the painting.
The animals “painted” using a brush or by stepping and/or rolling in water-based paint before transferring the art to a fabric canvas. This activity provides enrichment for the animals and produces art. Each frame painting will have a special note with information about the animal that created it.
“The project was inspired by our animals,” Rachel Eslick, Media Contact for the San Francisco Zoo and Gardens told San Francisco News. “Many people are passionate about the arts and animals so we thought it was the perfect way to feature the wonderful wildlife collection and conservation stories we have at the Zoo, and allow people to take home a unique piece of artwork to celebrate their favorite animal. The process of creating the art served as positive enrichment and physical/mental stimulation for our animal artists!”
One-hundred percent of the proceeds will help the San Francisco Zoo and Gardens in its mission to connect people with wildlife, inspire caring for nature and advance conservation action. On the San Francisco Zoo’s YouTube page people can view a short video of a grizzly bear creating its painting can be viewed.
