On a day like any other in March of this year, the residents of San Jose awoke to discover, to their astonishment, that their city had been invaded by a colorful troupe of cows, which with an exhibitionist's flair, had settled on highly visible, very busy spots throughout the entire city.
Unbeknownst to the population of San Jose, the citizens of Zurich, Chicago, New York, Paris, Tokyo, London, São Paulo and Buenos Aires had also previously been astonished by the spectacular of the CowParade.
As was the case in all the other cities where the cows were exhibited, a wide variety of reactions and creative theories poured out amongst the citizens. Everyone pondered why the cows were there and how they got there.
Just a few hours later, the mystery of the Cows was solved. The 130 cows that populated the public spaces pf San Jose were part of an artistic project called CowParade. The largest public art exhibition in the world had arrived in Costa Rica.
A worldwide phenomenon
This original concept originated in Switzerland 10 years ago, and is now a phenomenon of global proportion. To date, over 10,000 artists from around the world have "given life" to nearly 5,000 sculptures.
These sculptures have filled some 70 cities in 30 countries with both color and art.
The fundamental goal of the CowParade is to shorten the distance between art and people by placing the works and their corresponding themes, right in front of the eyes of the world.
"Taking art to the streets has been much more effective than trying to take the people to the museums and galleries", explains Pascal Knapp, creator of the idea.
In 1998, Knapp modeled the original prototypes that became the canvas for the artists which then inundated the surprised streets of Zurich for the first time.
The CowParade on Costa Rican soil
During the months preceding the impressive appearance of the cows on the streets of San Jose, renowned Costa Rican plastic artists had been releasing their own creativity over the bovine sculptures and unloading their colorful visions about the culture, the society, and the bountiful nature of this country.
Each artist received a white fiberglass sculpture to interpret in their own way. Many painted them, while some covered them with ceramics, mirrors, plants, and even roasted coffee beans. Some others dressed them, perforated or fragmented them, and one of the artists even chose to hang his sculpture among the tree canopies.
Several of them wanted to make an environmental comment about the country. While many, commented on the people and the national traditions, very few opted for taking on urban-type themes.
Art that leaves an imprint....
Besides making a significant cultural contribution, the CowParade promotes the development and promotion of local artists and as a byproduct; generates valuable resources for an array of charitable organizations within the host country through the auctioning of the works of art at the end.
In September a private auction was held that raised over $ 100,000 through the sale of 29 of the 60 cows. On October I,, a second auction took place, this time open to the public, which raised another $ 65,000. Of the total amount raised, 70% will go to the following charitable organizations:
Foundation for the Development of the National Children's Hospital,The Association of Works of the Holy Spirit, Fundavida, and the Hogares Crea Organization. One of the organizers of the project, Lucia Marton, of Vallas y Gigantografias de Costa Rica, tells us that the results could not have been more positive.
The works caused a profound impact in the population, hundreds of artists could show their talent and we were able to generate important resources to support the valuable work of several charitable institutions.
All the cows will remain on exhibit in the country with their buyers. Johnny Araya, Mayor of San Jose, tells us that
those cows that are not auctioned will go on tour around the country so the people of rural areas are also able to enjoy the spectacle that filled the Costa Rican capital with color during several months.
