Cows in Our Town
WHEN: December 20 – February 11
WHERE: local Princeton businesses
The Arts Council of Princeton and McCarter Theatre Center are proud to announce Cows in Our Town, a new community-wide public art project created to promote awareness of local artists and McCarter’s upcoming production of Marie Jones’ Stones in His Pockets. (Above: Participating artist Sean Carney’s cow, Lawrence in Palmer Square)
Through a series of art installations placed in local businesses, Cows in Our Town aims to enhance the around-town experience for visitors and Princeton residents alike through the holiday season and into the new year.
Cows in Our Town (a reference to a notable creature featured in the story of Stones in his Pockets) brings together specially selected local artists who have been invited to apply their artistic interpretations to multi-density fiberboard cow-shaped cut-outs. The completed cows will be installed in popular public spaces and businesses with a small accompanying description and more information. A social media campaign (see below) will provide an added layer of dynamic interaction and engagement for fans of public art, theater, and cows.
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.
About this collaboration, Arts Council of Princeton Executive Director Taneshia Nash Laird said, "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. As the holidays
approach, I'm excited for the community to see our town decorated with twenty colorful cows."
Social Media “Scavenger Hunt”
A social media campaign will be conducted to encourage patrons/customers to locate, photograph, and Instagram photos of the various works of cow art using the tag #CowsInOurTown; McCarter will award prizes on a weekly basis to Instagrammers who post. Those interested in participating in the scavenger hunt can get started by visiting the first installed cow in the lobby of McCarter’s Matthews Theater during performances of A Christmas Carol starting December 20, or follow McCarter and the Arts Council of Princeton on Instagram for more “cow tipping” on other locations.
Following the close of the production, the artworks will be collected and sold by the Arts Council; 50% of the sale will go to the artist and the remaining 50% will be donated to the Urban Mental Health Alliance, a local grassroots, community-based 501c3 nonprofit organization that advocates for the mental health and wellness of urban families and communities. (The themes of which are touched upon in Stones in His Pockets).
ABOUT THE ARTS COUNCIL OF PRINCETON
The Arts Council of Princeton, founded in 1967, is a non-profit organization with a mission of building community through the arts. Housed in the landmark Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, designed by architect Michael Graves, the ACP fulfills its mission by presenting a wide range of programs including exhibitions, performances, free community cultural events, and studio-based classes and workshops in a wide range of media. Arts Council of Princeton programs are designed to be high-quality, engaging, affordable and accessible for the diverse population of the greater Princeton region. The Arts Council of Princeton is at the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, 102 Witherspoon St, Princeton, NJ 08542. artscouncilofprinceton.org.
ABOUT McCARTER THEATRE CENTER
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Emily Mann, McCarter Theatre Center is recognized as one of the nation’s premier theater companies. Renowned for major contributions to the theatrical canon, McCarter premieres include such works as Christopher Durang’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (winner of the 2013 Tony Award® for Best Play) and McCarter was honored in 1994 with the Regional Theatre Tony Award®. Thanks to the efforts of Special Programming Director William W. Lockwood, McCarter Theatre Center is also a premier presenter of artists renowned around the world and across genres as varied as dance, classical, pop, jazz, performance art, comedy, magic, children’s theatre, and much more. McCarter is supported by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Princeton University, and over 2,000 individuals, corporations, community leaders, and foundations.
McCarter Theatre Center is at 91 University Place, Princeton, NJ 08540. mccarter.org.
