Party Animals Are In the House!

My first sighting happened at National Airport. There it was: a sherbet-colored donkey with three small children racing around it and clambering on top of it.

On Memorial Day, as I drove down Pennsylvania Avenue, I spotted an elephant with grass at its feet. There, on the sidewalk, in front of the Asian-fusion restaurant Ten Penh. Tourists walked by it, barely noticing it, as if this were a normal occurrence in our nation's capital.

Back at work after a holiday weekend, there they were: an elephant and a donkey, side by side, plastered with campaign stickers. Later in the day, a teenage girl in a red shirt lounges alongside them, her arm draped around the elephant's ear.

Hallucinations? Not at all. This party is all about art.

The much-heralded Party Animals have finally come to town. In January, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) announced they would award grants to artists from the District of Columbia and surrounding areas to decorate 100 donkey and 100 elephant sculptures with whatever design came to mind. The DCCAH announced the 4.5-foot-tall and 5-foot-long animals would be on display from late spring until early fall 2002 in neighborhoods all around Washington D.C. This project is similar to the Chicago cows that paraded across Chicago a few years ago.

First Lady Laura Bush was on hand for the late-April unveiling of the first of the animals to hit the streets.

"Party Animals is a terrific arts project designed to celebrate the talent and creativity of Washington-area artists, as well as our nation's democracy," said Mrs. Bush at the unveiling ceremony. "I encourage D.C. residents and visitors alike to take the time to see these unique sculptures."

And unique they are. The two at Union Station are the babies of the Democratic and Republican National Committees—hence the campaign stickers. The Ten Penh elephant is called "The Rose Garden." The one at National Airport is "Spirit Bird Riding High." No two sculptures—even those that follow a similar theme—are alike.

To learn more about the animals and see photos of the artists working on their sculptures, visit http://www.partyanimals.org. The site includes a directory of where to find the latest Party Animals, and maps are said to be available at Metro stations throughout the area. There are reports that those maps aren't out yet, but with the height of the tourist season on the area, they should be available very soon.

And as for the fate of these creative beasts? In the fall, the exhibition will conclude with a public "Raucous Caucus" auction. Each animal will be sold to the highest bidder, and all proceeds will benefit the DC Arts Commission grants programs and Arts Education.

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