Howl: Artists Rise to the Challenge

The Howl for UWG public art project is now in its second phase – artists have submitted more than 30 designs and interest is growing in the fundraising effort. More designs are expected and several possible sponsors have emerged.

Wildflower, by Kayla Marston, UWG art major. Howl challenges artists to use the wolf as a metaphor for community. "My submission was inspired by purple iris flowers native to the beautiful Georgia landscape," she wrote.

The project, patterned after Cows on Parade, an international public art project of painted cows that has raised millions of dollars for charity, will benefit scholarships for the UWG Annual Fund Campaign. A portion of the proceeds will provide scholarships for art majors. Artists were challenged to use the wolf as a metaphor for community in their submissions.

Among the designs is work by Bruce Bobick, former chairman of UWG’s Department of Art. UWG art faculty and current art students also submitted. Local artists include Helen Helwig, Marcella Kuykendall, Steve Penley, Melissa Crawford and Seth Fitts. To see all of the designs go to http://howlforuwg.com/artists.html.

Students from Carrollton Elementary School submitted six designs. They were studying animal art from Oaxaca, Mexico when the project was announced, Amy Witt one of the school’s art teachers, said in their submissions. Witt and two of her colleagues, Mandy Maierhofer and Candace Winkles, are UWG graduates.

Many of the students have personal connections to UWG, Witt said. The students were inspired by the animal art of Oaxaca. They compared and contrasted animal art sculptures with the Cows on Parade project to come up with their own ideas, she said.

“The students were very excited to participate in designing a wolf using a variety of colors, lines and shapes,” Witt said in the submission.

Clint Samples, the associate professor of art who is spearheading the project, said he expects designs from Villa Rica High School. Other schools have also expressed interest. At least two possible sponsors have expressed interest in the project, he said.

“We are very happy with the quality of the submissions,” Samples said. The design selection committee hopes that at least 20 of the sculptures will be sponsored.

Three levels of sponsorship for Howl for UWG are available.

The $10,000 Alpha Wolf sponsors get first choice of the designs from the submissions. Sponsors also get first choice of where the wolves will be placed and miniature tabletop replicas of the sponsored wolf.

The $5,000 Beta Wolf sponsors will choose from the remaining designs and available locations for the sculptures.

$2,500 Omega Wolf sponsors will get a tabletop replica of the sponsored wolf. The life-size wolves will be auctioned to fund UWG scholarships.

All the sponsors will have their names or company logos prominently displayed on UWG media announcements, promotional material, websites and event signage.

Artists can still submit designs. For more information contact Samples at 678-839-4949 or csamples@westga.edu or Bill Norris, UWG associate director of development, at
678-839-6501 or bnorris@westga.edu.

Kevin Shunn, chair of the Department of Art, will design the original wolf mold and Cowpainters in Chicago will create the fiberglass forms.

In addition to Norris, Shunn, Bobick and Samples, who is the project leader, the members of the Howl for UWG Committee are: Stephanie Smith, UWG art instructor and founder of the Atlanta Printmakers Studio; Jessica Reynolds, director of the Carrollton Main Street Program; and Gerald Byrd, a member of the Carrollton City Council and a professional artist.

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