New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
Buttonwood Park Zoological Society’s holiday tradition, the “Art Gone Wild” fundraiser is back! The 6th annual online auction went live on Monday, December 2nd, 2019, with 38 one-of-a kind pieces of art up for grabs, all painted by our resident animals.
Highlights for this year include an elephant skin print turned silhouette of beloved Asian elephants Emily and Ruth, a new version of the always popular and appropriately named “Bruins” masterpiece by Toby the Black Bear and the debut of our female red panda Marie, with a brightly colored painting reminiscent of summer time and watermelon sherbet.
“We are really proud of the pieces we are offering in this year’s auction,” said Conservation Program Manager and Art Gone Wild Curator, Lindsey Audunson. “Our animals, with the help of their Zookeepers, were exceptionally creative this year – and with a nod to the upcoming holidays, we just added some gorgeous Christmas tree ornaments that are sure to be a hit.”
Offering Zoo residents the opportunity to paint is another example of the Zoo’s enrichment and training programs – which stimulates each animal’s natural behavior, provides variety in their daily routine and highlights the bond between the animal and their caretaker.
Many animals at the Zoo are trained to paint in the traditional sense using brushes, while others choose to paint with their paws, claws, tails and scales. From elephants to red pandas, southern pudu to red tegus and the Zoo’s very own office pigeon, each work of art has been made especially for the online auction.
All artwork is wrapped in a plastic sleeve and includes a photo of the artist, a certificate of authenticity and some fun facts about the animal artist. For more information and to bid go to www.32auctions.com/ArtGoneWild2019.
Proceeds from Art Gone Wild directly support the Zoo’s education and conservation programs.
