Tuesday, July 25, 2000
Pig Parade: The LiBOARy Pig
Library pig's message speaks volumes
By Owen Findsen
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Pigs were in the wind even before the Big Pig Gig came along.
Last year, the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County picked the theme “Pig Out On Books” for its summer 2000 reading program for young people.
Posters and other promotional materials were in the works when the Big Pig Gig arrived, linking perfectly with the program.
David Rohs, 33, West End, graphic designer at the Library, was already deep into pig designs when he was assigned the library's Big Pig Gig pig, named, of course, for the reading program.
Mr. Rohs is also an artist. His next exhibition, a photographic installation of television-derived images, runs Aug. 4-27 at the Warsaw Project Space, 3116 Warsaw Ave., Price Hill.
Sponsor: The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.
This pig's pen: Main Library, Walnut Street entrance.
What's the pig idea? The pig is covered with letters of the alphabet and he's pulling a child's wagon filled with books, with titles such as Lard of the Flies, The Scarlet Pigperneland The Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig. I didn't think up the titles. Amy Banister, the library public affairs director, provided the titles.
I'm a graphic designer, not a word person. I'm even challenged by crossword puzzles.
You want people to look at this pig and think: About the library's Pig Out on Books summer reading program.
Completing the project took: Three weeks.
What's the matter?: Sign painters paint, a wagon, fiberglass and books. The books were all bolted together and welded to the wagon, then covered with Bondo and fiberglass.
Pig peeve: It seems like everybody has a pig tragedy story. Apparently somebody like the books on the wagon so they rocked them and broke the welds. It's a strong weld and they really had to work hard to do it.
What artistic movement most affected the outcome of this pig? It's definitely a symbolist poet, a literary pig rather than an artistic pig.
This is 87th in a series spotlighting pigs from the Big Pig Gig Public Art Project in Cincinnati, Covington and Newport. Find past pig profiles at enquirer.com.
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Pig Parade: The LiBOARy Pig
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