Wolf from the Red Wolf Ramble Public Art Program
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Wolf from the Red Wolf Ramble Public Art Program
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Red Wolf Ramble
A Howling Good Time!
The City of Raleigh Arts Commission sponsored the most successful temporary public art festival Raleigh has ever seen, the Raleigh Red Wolf Ramble!
The Project Defined
This was a family-focused, temporary exhibit which opened in September 2001 and closed mid-April 2002. The Raleigh Red Wolf Ramble (RRWR) generated unique excitement and enthusiasm all over Raleigh because of the whimsical, comical, imaginative visions of the artists involved. The City Council endorsed the installation of sculptures on city property and provided seed money, which was repaid through the very successful wolf auction on April 5, 2002.
Over 100 red wolves were placed throughout the city in public parks, major pedestrian thoroughfares, shopping centers, small businesses and downtown area locations. Each fiberglass form provided a canvas which North Carolina artists enhanced with paint and three-dimensional add-ons. Artists were selected through an open call as well as an invitation process.
Additional activities surrounding the exhibit included an unveiling at a Red Wolf Jamboree and Storytelling Festival (imagine the wolf's version of the “Three Little Pigs”), a grand opening at the Street Painting Festival, a howling, wolf sightings, radio contests, scavenger hunts, an event linking wolf myths and Native Americans in November (Native American month) and closing with the auction at the North Carolina Museum of History. Many local art and nature organizations joined in with co-celebrations of the R.R.W.R., including the Contemporary Art Museum, Visual Art Exchange, First Night Raleigh, People for Parks, North Carolina State University, and Meredith College. This was the most successful public art exhibit Raleigh has ever seen!!
Track the Red Wolf - Why the Red Wolf (Canis rufus)
The red wolf has been selected because it is an endangered species special to North Carolina, is an animal of character and has rich associations for story telling and caricature. Many local organizations already have a connection with the Red Wolf through the reintroduction effort.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service monitors the critical habitat for the Red Wolves in the Alligator River National Wildlife Sanctuary (Red Wolf Recovery Project); the NC Zoo conducts an extensive educational and scientific program (see their Red Wolf Web site here ); The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences organizes a “howling,” and the Veterinary School of NCSU provides special medical care for the wild Red Wolves. All of Raleigh’s colleges and the Wake County Schools will be involved in this unique learning experience. Of the 125 wolves in the wild, about 100 are in our state.
Funding
In addition to city support, the Commission sought sponsorships in the community. Individual businesses sponsor one Red Wolf or a “Den" (four or more wolves), and some were placed at business sites. A Title Sponsor, Supporting Sponsors (in-kind), and Friends of the Red Wolves (different levels of sponsorship) were also sought. To successfully acquire sponsorship (and necessary artists) members of the Arts Commission met with the media, Fox 50, the N&O, WRAL-TV Channel 5 and WRAL-FM 101.5 via Capital Broadcasting. Other funds came from a live auction and one via the internet, auctioning Red Wolves that had been donated by sponsors after the exhibit (Chicago, for example, netted $3.5 million dollars from the Cows on Parade auction and Cincinnati’s Big Pig Gig auction raised $801,500.).
Proceeds from the auction were divided as follows:
- 50% to a non-profit organization of the sponsor's choice
(we will supply sponsors with a list of all Raleigh's not-for-profit arts organizations)
- 50% for future public art in Raleigh
How Raleigh fits into the Big Picture
The Raleigh Red Wolf Ramble not only had many natural local partners who already had an interest in the Red Wolf, but we were also among forty communities across the United States and Europe who had a 2001-2002 temporary exhibit similar to ours. From pigs and cows to rocking chairs, cities celebrated their communities and delighting residents and visitors with these outdoor exhibits. In addition, the City of Raleigh Arts Commission was invited by the city of Chicago to send one of our "Red Wolves" to participate in an International Menagerie of "fellow critters" at the Lincoln Park Zoo Summer of 2002.
For More Information Contact:
June Guralnick
Arts Commission, Executive Director
City Manager Department
222 West Hargett Street, Room 504
Raleigh, NC 27601
919-890-3610
Carol S. Mallette
Arts Commission, Administrative Assistant
City Manager Department
222 West Hargett Street, Room 504
Raleigh, NC 27601
919-890-3610
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