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Cows in Our Town public art project to launch in Princeton Dec. 20

Artist Sean Carney’s cow, Lawrence, in Palmer Square.

Cows in Our Town, a public art project created to promote awareness of local artists and McCarter Theatre’s upcoming production of “Stones in His Pockets, ” will run from Dec. 20 to Feb. 11. The name of the project is a reference to a notable creature featured in the play by Marie Jones.

A series of art installations will be placed in local businesses. Twenty local artists have been invited to apply their artistic interpretations to fiberboard cow-shaped cut-outs. The completed cows will be installed in public spaces and businesses with a small accompanying description and more information.

Participating artists include Andre Veloux, Aja Washington, Sean Carney, Leon Rainbow, Libby Ramage, Piroska Toth, Ben Colbert, Marlon Davila, Donna Payton, Andres Duque, Dressler Smith, Barbara DiLorenzo, Ruthann Perry, Lisa Walsh, Leticia Acevedo, Anne Marie Miller, and more.

A social media campaign will encourage people to locate, photograph, and Instagram photos of the cow art using the tag #CowsInOurTown. McCarter Theatre will award prizes on a weekly basis to people who post photos. The first installed cow will be located in the lobby of McCarter’s Matthews Theater during performances of “A Christmas Carol” starting Dec. 20.

After the project ends, the cows will be collected and sold by the Arts Council. Fifty percent of the money raised will go to the artist and the remaining 50 percent will be donated to the Urban Mental Health Alliance, a community-based non-profit organization that advocates for the mental health and wellness of urban families and communities.

“We are pleased to be collaborating with the McCarter team on this special project that incorporates many talented artists and local businesses, and benefits an area mental  health organization,” Arts Council of Princeton Executive Director Taneshia Nash Laird said. “As the holidays approach, I’m excited for the community to see our town decorated with twenty colorful cows.”

12 Comments

  1. ah for f**ks sake. Why not promote local artists work by showing IT in public places.Not some tired PR spin.The “public” is poorly informed by this nonsense, lowering art to the “cute” and “useful” functions imposed by these formats.I despise all the giant heffer cows spotted throughout hopewell township, and now this tripe. Well, artists who volunteer your skills and talents to this stuff, you’re being manipulated once again…but cheers,maybe you’ll be commissioned to paint someone’s prized something or other. OK. thats my Scroogie take on art in service to anything but its own very important existence.

    1. My name is Kathleen Madigan Schifano, and I am the owner of a pop up, non profit, art gallery in New Jersey, Prindiville Moher Gallery.
      My goal is to help artist to show their work, I enjoy any type of art that is shown in all venues. I hear you are an artist in New York and show in many large galleries. What is it you do to help artists?

          1. Though, if you’re referring to the spelling of my first name….micheal, i’ll tell you that my mother spelled it michael. i took the ea (irish spelling) back in the early 80’s as a nod to my irish ancestors…and because I wasn’t smart enough to consistently spell my whole name (Micheal
            Gerrard Padraig O’Madahain) . Cheers!

      1. hello Kathleen, just read your post. Though now retired from teaching, i spend 25 years teaching painting at universities and non-profit art schools, as well as mentoring private students in my studio . I also am a partner in a private exhibition space in Washington, D.C., exhibiting artists works and introducing them to new audiences in the region.

  2. Is it “art” when the project merely copies something that has been done (and over-done) so many times and places before?

    1. Agree this is just so dumb and derivative. What a waste of resources. An utter lack of creativity and taste

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