A larger
than life legend, “Babe the Blue Ox” is trotting through lakes
area communities this summer, sporting the latest color pallets of
area artists. This public art initiative will bring to life a new
chapter for the legendary Ox.
The Statue
The Ox/Babe
Statue was sculpted by area artist
Josh Porter of Avalon
Studios
.The statue is modeled after local folklore and Babe statues in the
Brainerd Lakes Area.
The production statues are
made of fiberglass and produced in Buffallo, MN. Approximate statue
dimensions are 5 feet tall, 7 feet long, and 2.5 feet wide.
The
statues in “The Oxtrot” are being produced in Buffalo, MN.
A
mold has been made from the original sculpture created by
Josh Porter and production is underway.
The
production statues are made of fiberglass. Approximate statue
dimensions are 5 feet tall, 7 feet long, and 2.5 feet wide.
The
statues will be mounted to a concrete base while on display.
The Oxtrot
An Oxpedition of Art is
currently on display! 23 Babe statues
in all!.
Statues are sponsored by businesses, organizations and
individuals.
Statues will be on display
from the Fishing Opener 2008 through Labor Day 2008.
Statues not kept by the Sponsors will be auctioned off Sept
6th 2008
at Paul Bunyan Land. Check out
explorebrainerdlakes.com for a listing of all the statues and
sponsors.
The Fundraiser
The Crossing Arts Alliance
has identified a need in area communities and will use funds raised
through this project to expand, offer and implement art classes for
K-12 students in Lakes Area schools.
Don't miss the Auction
at Paul Bunyanland September 6, 2008
This is your chance to
own a peice of the Oxpedition.
Several Babe statues
will be up for auction and will be going home with the highest
bidder.
The Benefits
“The
chamber reported this promotional campaign supporting the Oxtrot
will be
one of the largest single tourism focused efforts it has
done in many years.
And the project, first unveiled last summer, is
gaining statewide attention.
‘We
applied for an innovative marketing grant to help support this
project,’ said Lisa Paxton, chamber chief executive officer. ‘We
were fortunate enough to be recognized.’
The chamber received
the competitive grant of $30,000 and will spend $75,000 on the
Oxtrot promotions using the grant and other contributions.
The "Finding Babe" campaign will use the radio, television, Internet
and personal appearances to promote the Oxtrot. The campaign
involves ‘Babe having a playful time around the lakes area,
particularly at Oxtrot locations with Paul Bunyan on a search for
him but always finding himself three steps behind,’ the chamber
reported.
‘We've
hired an actor to represent Paul Bunyan and he will make appearances
at metro events,’ Paxton said. And Babe will keep a blog of his
adventures.
Oxtrot locations will be
featured on the chamber's 2008 Brainerd lakes area map, which has
70,000 copies. People visiting all Oxtrot locations will be able to
register for a lakes area getaway.
For sponsors hosting
an ox statue, the benefit is expected to come with increased
visitors to the site and access to statewide marketing efforts.”
(excerpt from Brainerd Dispatch Jan 24th,
08 (Renee Richardson))
Other benefits include:
Connecting the entire
Lakes Area Community in one project
Attracting new visitors
and additional tourism dollars to our community
Raising funds for art
classes and education in lakes area schools
Providing a fun and
creative activity for area and visiting families
Fostering new working
relationships between area artists and businesses
Increasing awareness of
the arts with highly visible and hands on artwork
Timeline
June 30, 2007: Unveiling
of Ox statue and introduction to The Oxtrot Event
July 1, 2007: On display
at Arts in the Park.
July 4th week: Ox will
appear in area parades
July 15, 2007: Sponsorship
packets available online
July 30, 2007: Artist
packets available
November 2007: Production
of statues begins
February 15, 2008 Artist
design submission deadline
February 22, 2008 Statue
Sponsorship deadline
Mid March, 2008: The
statues will be delivered to an area warehouse to be picked up by
artists.
Mid April 2008: Artist
return completed statues to warehouse.
Mid April 2008: Statues
clear coated, mounted on concrete base, photographed and prepped
for delivery to locations
Early May 2008: Statues
delivered to locations in preparation for the fishing opener
Fishing Opener 2008:
Official Kick Off of the Oxtrot
Fishing Opener through
Labor Day 2008: Ox statues on display, additional corresponding
community events relating to The Oxtrot event
September 6, 2008 Auction
of Oxen (Paul Bunyan Land)
Timeline
