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Chicago's 1999 Summer Public Art Exhibition was Cows On Parade, an enchanting exhibit in which an army of artists transformed life-sized fiberglass cows into enchanting works of art.
Nearly 300 cows were exhibited along Michigan Avenue between Oak and Balbo, in the Loop and River North, near museums, in Grant Park and on the "Moo-seum" campus. The public art exhibition was presented by the Public Art Program of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. Cow Parade was created by Beat Seeberger-Quin for presentation in Zurich, Switzerland, where 800 cows were displayed during the summer of 1998. Cow Parade was exported to the United States and made its North American debut in Chicago under the auspices of the Government of Switzerland and Chicago's Swiss Consul General Eduard Jaun.
Chicago businessman Peter Hanig, who was captivated by Swiss cows during his vacation in Zurich last summer, may be credited with spearheading the private sector effort that made this exhibition one of this city's most successful private/public partnerships. As co-chair of the Cows On Parade Committee, Hanig, joined by co-chairs Michael Christ of Tiffany and Co. and Daniel Nack of Salvatore Ferragamo, led a volunteer sales committee of cowhands that guaranteed the financial success of the exhibition.
Hundreds of artists and artisans from the fine and applied arts were invited to submit cow proposals that would demonstrate their imagination and artistic talents. The cattle call, which included community outreach through the Chicago Artists' Coalition, Chicago Coalition of Community Cultural Centers, and the Chicago Cultural Network, produced a diverse variety of proposals.
The Chicago Transit Authority commissioned four cows to be made to represent the "L". One, Visual Cacophony in 6 Mooovements, was placed on North Michigan Avenue and was made of photographs. Another, Elevated Train, was located on Randolph & Michigan outside the Cultural Center and was a painted map of the "L" system.
Two more were put on display in late August-early September, Take the Moo Train, and Get on the Bus. They were both designed by Gallery 37.
Elevated Train was auctioned off in November 1999. The other three were in storage for a while, requiring repairs to the ears and horns, but were later put on display at various CTA locations.
Artist:
Kermit Berg
Patron: Chicago
Transit Authority
Location: 736 N. Michigan Ave. (1999); CTA Headquarters (2018)
This delightful cow, located on North Michigan Avenue just south of Chicago Avenue and Water Tower, is made of photographs printed in a film covering the fiberglass cow. The film is the same material used by the CTA in their advertisements wraps on trains and buses.
The images adorning the cow are perhaps its most endearing feature. Before Visual Cacophony in 6 Mooovements was put together, the artist took the cow around the "L" system in its natural state (plain white fiberglass). He photographed it doing the things that daily commuters do on a regular basis: waiting on an "L" platform, going through a fare control turnstile, boarding a train, looking out an "L" train window. Then, the photos were taken, transferred onto a thin film and applied to the cow. The result is a whimsical, charming ode to the "L"!
Today, Visual Cacophony in 6 Mooovements resides in the 1st floor lobby of CTA Headquarters, 567 W. Lake.
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Artist:
Gallery 37 Apprentice Artists
Patron: Chicago
Transit Authority
Location: 77 E. Randolph St. (1999); presumed in private hands (2018)
Elevated Train, the first CTA-sponsored cow to appear on the streets, is a simple design executed by artists from Chicago's famous Gallery 37. The cow features a painted skyline of Chicago with a painted map of the "L" superimposed over it.
The Elevated Train cow was auctioned off for $28,000 at the cow auction in November 1999.
In September 2006, the owners tried to auction Elevated Train on eBay (item number 110032872462) with a starting bid of $500, but there were no takers and the auction ended without a bid.
Today, Elevated Train is believed to be in private hands, presumably owned by the auction winner.
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Artist:
Gallery 37 Apprentice Artists
Patron: Chicago
Transit Authority
Location: Unknown (1999); Skokie Shops (2018)
Take the Moo Train is painted to resemble the side of an "L" train (with side red, white and blue stripes along the bottom, like the original livery of a 2400-series car, though they hadn't look that way for about a decade when the cow was painted), and the side profile of the face of a CTA employee (perhaps meant to represent a conductor).
Today, Take the Moo Train resides on the 1st floor of the administration building at the CTA Skokie Shops facility.
Artist:
Gallery 37 Apprentice Artists
Patron: Chicago
Transit Authority
Location: Unknown (1999); CTA Headquarters (2018)
Get on the Bus is painted to resemble the side of a CTA bus, including the faces of a diverse group of riders in the windows and a driver at the front.
Today, Get on the Bus resides on the 2nd floor mezzanine, near the Ventra Customer Service Center, at CTA Headquarters, 567 W. Lake.
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