Painted Pigs

Painted pigs have popped up all over Fayetteville.

Although they’re out in full force for this weekend’s University of Arkansas homecoming festivities, the pigs are actually part of PIGShibition, a community art project and fundraiser sponsored by the Ozark Literacy Council. Wendy Poole, director of the organization, says it’s an effort to promote literacy and “get people to notice that this is a problem in Arkansas.” A portion of the pigs will be put up for auction in March 2013 at Piggies Go to Market, with the proceeds going toward literacy projects.

Poole says she started doing research on the fundraiser last September, and Advertising and Promotion Commission in Fayetteville partnered with the nonprofit organization for the project.

Mike Davis created two small clay pig figures, from which the final design was chosen, and Glynn Samuels then created each of the large fiberglass pigs from Davis’ design.

In March 2012, Ozark Literacy Council created the PIGShibition website and put out a call for artists, showing the template of the pig and asking them for painted design submissions, Poole explains. There were 141 submissions from 50 artists, all of which were shown to potential sponsors. Sponsors could choose to be Blue Ribbon Sponsors by giving $3,000 or Top Hog Sponsors by giving $6,000.

The Top Hog pigs will go home with the sponsors, and the Blue Ribbon-sponsored pigs will besold in March.

Since July, pigs have been placed in prominent locations throughout Fayetteville, Poole says. Fifteen pigs are now out in the public, and 21 pigs have been sold to sponsors. The next six will soon be placed, and Poole says the final goal is to sell 25 pigs.

Jack Wilson of Fayettevillewas one of the artists with a submission chosen. Wilson submitted three designs: an aviator pig, a golfer and a motorcycle pig. The aviator pig was chosen, and he says he was particularly pleased because he loves flying and aviation. He is a commercial artist for a living and also a pilot, although he is currently grounded for medical reasons.

His creation, which was titled “When Pigs Fly,” is sponsored by Friends of Drake Field and located at Drake Field. Wilson says it took him about six weeks to create the black-and-white aviator pig, including making props like goggles.

“It was kind of like painting a small car,” he says, laughing.

He typically paints murals on walls and storefront windows, so he says he is used to painting on big structures.

He adds he wanted to submitdesigns for PIGShibition to help the Ozark Literacy Council and because it was something exciting for Fayetteville.

He has been a lifelong Fayetteville resident, and when he found out the flying pig was chosen, he was excited because he used to hang out at the airport as a kid.

“It was kind of like putting a feather in my cap,” he says.

The aviator pig will be one of the pigs sold at Piggies Go to Market.

Another pig, called “Sooie Student,” was painted by Jane Garrison Davidian. She says she wanted to represent University of Arkansas students. Painted on the “humanlike” pig is a backwards baseball cap, jersey, iPhone and glasses.

She says he is “kind of my little nerd pig.” The jersey features buildings on campus, such as the architecture building, the library, Old Main and the football stadium. She says she wanted her pig to have a lot of personality.

Davidian’s art medium is oil on canvases and murals. She says painting the pig was fun, and the size wasn’t a problem for her either, since she has worked on huge murals in the past.

“Sooie Student” is a Top Hog pig sponsored by Ted Belden and the Inn at Carnall Hall, and it will remain at the Inn at Carnall Hall.

Some of the pigs represent Fayetteville, and some are literary in nature, Poole says. Her favorites are “Ferdinand the Bull (Pig)” by Carol Sharos because Ferdinand the Bull is a children’s story and “The Reader” by Jason Jones, which features a boy reading and his imagination.

“It’s what we’re about: teaching people how to read.”