As promised, here is a look at my completed penguin for the Penguins on the March project! Inspired by the distance that penguins cover in their migrations, I felt that this guy was meant to be a traveler, and so I set out to bring that part of his personality…
He wears a scallop edged coat made of 1970s National Geographic maps, all cut into teardrops shapes and assembled project runway style. (I swear at any point, Tim Gunn was going to walk into the room, hands clasped, and say to me, “Make it work!”) Trimmed in velvet and vintage leather and plastic buttons, he dons a hat I crocheted for him, a lime cotton collar, as well as a tiny paper suitcase.
Mini trees near the base elaborate his sense of wanderlust through various landscapes, and gives him a pacific northwest vibe.
This morning Magellan was part of the Penguins on the March launch at the Space Needle, where he met all kinds of people, young and old, including other Seattle artists part of the project.
The launch event is a celebration of art and wildlife conservation, inspired by the Woodland Park Zoo’s brand new Humboldt exhibit, and continues tonight where Magellan and other penguins will be at The Greenwood Collective during the Art Up/Open Up Greenwood-Phinney art walk. After today, Penguins on the March will begin migrating into Ballard, Fremont and Greenwood-Phinney, where some will be featured in front of neighborhood businesses through September. (Catch some select penguins at the Waiting for the Interurban sculpture in Fremont tomorrow, June 13th.) After migrating through Seattle, the penguins will be auctioned off to benefit Woodland Park Zoo’s field conservation program, which supports 38 wildlife conservation projects in 50 countries worldwide. More pics from this morning’s launch, taken before the crowd got going…
Aw, he´s the cutest thing ever! And I love how you got a chance to use both your artist and your fashion designer side. Can I borrow his suitcase? I need somewhere to stash my jewelery haha
LOVE! how cute :)
haha! i love him! the other penguins are nice, of course, but magellan definitely has the most personality of the bunch.
Well done! He is adorable, and I love that he is a traveler (with the cutest suitcase too I might add).
Jenny, that is so cool! I have the new penguins on my list for summer (Ian has seen them, Emma has not). I love the little coat on yours, so wonderful!
Thanks girls! Marce, giggling over here… you reminded me of the suitcase jewelry display! GENIUS.
Blair, I’ve heard the actual exhibit at the zoo is spectacular – can’t wait to go myself! Maybe we can go together sometime.
xox
[...] Magellan, the penguin I created for the The Woodland Park Zoo and Urban Light Studios, has been adopted by Ballard’s own Snoose Junction Pizzeria on Market Street. If you are in Seattle, you may have seen some other penguins popping up in the area. All the Penguins on the March have now found a temporary home with a business in Wallingford, Greenwood-Phinney or Ballard until they get auctioned off in August and September. Here is a list of penguins and their locations, extra points if you go on a scavenger hunt and play I Spy! Comments (0) Posted on August 2 [...]