For Patrons of Art and Animal Welfare: Art Gone Wild 2024
Did you miss out on Art Gone Wild at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo this year? Or (perhaps like many of us, including me) you attended the in-person portion of the silent auction, only to be outbid just at the last second of the event? Great news for those of us who want to own an animal art masterpiece. There is still time to score your own one-of-a-kind piece through the Art Gone Wild online auction, which begins Monday, November 18 and lasts until Friday, November 22 at 8 p.m. EST! Interested patrons of art and animal welfare can browse and bid on art pieces and custom encounters here!
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo’s chapter of the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) held Art Gone Wild on the evening of November 14, 2024 in the zoo’s Banquet Hall. The event featured a silent auction of over 40 art pieces, all created by the Rosamond Gifford Zoo’s animal residents as enrichment activities. Guests spent the night browsing and bidding on the paintings, marveling over the animals’ creativity, and imagining where to hang their newest art acquisitions. Our renowned catering team, Catering at the Zoo (CATZ), provided light refreshments and a cash bar for attendees.
For those who purchased V.I.P. tickets, there were even more opportunities to obtain animal art. 10 mystery pieces were available to purchase immediately at a set price. Each mystery piece was tagged with the animal artist and color scheme, but the actual art pattern remained a surprise for buyers until after purchasing.
The mystery paintings proved to be especially popular. All 10 pieces sold out in under twenty minutes! In addition to those mystery pieces, animal painting encounters were also up for grabs, which give winners the chance to meet their animal artist in person as they watch the animal paint with a color-scheme of the winner’s choosing. Guests also had the opportunity to enter a raffle to win a painting.
As for all the art on display, there was no shortage of exquisite work. Animal artists ranged from species large and small, and animals young and old. Every participant provided guests with truly unique artistic offerings. Andean bear Bjorn’s warm-toned pawprint piece generated enthusiastic interest from viewers. Asian elephant Siri’s trunk-print painting dazzled and delighted, offering viewers a revealing look at the intricacies of elephants’ dexterity. Even now-retired green tree python Monty left his mark on a canvas, creating a stunning navy-gold masterpiece.
Guests’ excitement and enthusiasm were palpable throughout the two-hour event. The crowd mingled and chatted about which paintings they wanted most and where they planned to display their newly acquired art. What is truly special about the animal-created paintings of Art Gone Wild is that humans are not the only ones who benefit from the event. Our talented animal artists do, too.
As an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the Rosamond Gifford Zoo provides our animals with ample opportunities for enrichment of all kinds. The AZA defines enrichment as “a process to ensure that the behavioral and physical needs of an animal are being met by providing opportunities for species-appropriate behaviors and choices.” Offering the animals the choice to engage in painting activities provides them with the opportunity to participate in stimulating, problem-solving activities to support their mental and physical well-being. When animals paint, they have the chance to interact with new objects. The act of painting fosters their inherent curiosity and encourages them to engage in natural behaviors. It can even serve as part of their medical training, as well. Hoofstock mammals, for example, paint via stamping their hooves into the paint and then onto the canvas. Painting enrichment helps reinforce their behaviors for hoof trims and nail care, which also makes other future medical procedures less stressful for the animals. In the words of Alana Auwae, large mammal care team member and President of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo’s chapter of AAZK, “All of our animals voluntarily participate in all of our painting enrichment. They don’t have to participate if they don’t want to. Many do opt to participate because it’s a unique activity that is new, different, and a fun change in their typical routine.”
Not only does painting enrichment help the animals who are part of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo’s collection, but the proceeds raised by Art Gone Wild also support the AAZK, which helps animals in AZA zoos across the nation and wildlife conservation efforts around the world. AAZK is a professional group of zookeepers that works to advance excellence in the profession, to foster effective communication beneficial to animal care, to support deserving conservation projects, and to promote the preservation of our natural resources and animal life. AAZK will also sponsor enrichment orders, including new toys, new scents, and different, large objects to ensure animals have everything they need to be happy and healthy. Boomer balls (toys for large mammals), for example, can cost up to $2000, so AAZK’s sponsorship is vital. Additionally, AAZK sponsors animal care team members who would like to attend specialized training courses and conferences, allowing them to cultivate animal care expertise and to implement that new knowledge here at Rosamond Gifford Zoo. Auwae notes, “AAZK is committed to bettering not just our animals, but our keepers, too. By supporting professional development, we learn more about innovative practices of animal welfare so that we can provide our animals with the best possible care.”
The reviews are in! Art Gone Wild is truly a win-win-win scenario. The animals in our care experience win via enrichment, the AAZK wins funding for professional development and conservation efforts, and guests win one-of-a-kind art pieces.
