BioPark event features art from all creatures great and small

Dive into the world of animal art at “Art Gone Wild: Splash of the Tropics,” an evening dedicated to works painted by the animals of the ABQ BioPark.

“It’s summertime, it’s hot,” Shannon Ellefson, programs manager, said, “and I think we have so many different animals coming together that we decided to do kind of a tropical theme for the summer in the aquarium.”

The BioPark has sold animal art for many years, but “Art Gone Wild,” on Friday, Aug. 22, will be the first sale in the ABQ BioPark Aquarium.

“We’re going to have a huge variety and some new prints and new art that we’ve never showed before,” Ellefson said. “We’re going to have something called elephant stomps, they’re elephant footprints.”

The BioPark’s artists represent a diverse range of animals, big and small, aquatic and nonaquatic, cold-blooded and warm-blooded.

“We’re going to have zebra shark kisses or prints. We’re going to have rhino paintings. We’re going to have penguin paintings. We’re going to have Komodo dragon,” Ellefson said. “So a huge variety of animals.”

Capturing the art varies by animal, and some critters weigh in on the creative process.

“Some animals do body art, where they’ll walk through across the canvas, and then we have other animals that actually will hold a paintbrush,” Ellefson said. “The primates can even pick their colors and choose where they paint with the paintbrush on the canvas.”

Ellefson said she is looking forward to seeing people who love the BioPark and its animals being able to converse with staff.

“If you want to chat with the animal staff, you get that unique opportunity because they’re not usually in front of the scenes at the zoo,” Ellefson said. “They’re the ones that you know work in the background.”

The event is 21 and over, and Elllefson said the intent is to give adults a unique opportunity to enjoy hors d’oeuvres, drinks and more. VIP ticket holders can enjoy a shark tank tour.

“We offer a lot of family opportunities in the BioPark,” Ellefson said. “I think it’s really great to offer opportunities for adults to come in and enjoy the aquarium, because most of the time it is full of kids.”

Ellefson said the event not only raises money, with all net proceeds going to the BioPark, but it also raises awareness.

“This gives the opportunity for the BioPark to be known nationwide for our animal art, as well as locally,” Ellefson said. “So it brings more awareness on these animals, what they can do.”

BioPark event features art from all creatures great and small