Pigs on Parade: An Abstract-to-Concrete Tour of Burlington
Summer art installation connects Burlington's agricultural past with its present and future via punny titles and innovative illustrations
Visitors to the Burlington Town Common this summer will be greeted by quite a sight: sixteen pig sculptures, spread out around the space, each representing an element of Burlington's past, present, or future.
With depictions ranging from abstract, like Jonathan Sachs Graphics' Patches, to concrete, like Hamma Time, sponsored by RJ Kelly Company and painted by Ron LeBrasseur, these pigs are meant to unite Burlington's agricultural past with the industries and symbols that represent it today. Each pig was purchased by a local business or organization and painted by a local artists, including several artists from Burlington High School.
Pigs on Parade is a fundraiser by the Burlington Sculpture Park and an effort to make the park more self-sustaining and less reliant on town capital to realize its goals. The sculptures were unveiled on June 22 at the Big Pig Party, which was attended by Burlington residents of all ages. The 10 full-size pigs and six piglets (arranged in pairs) will be displayed on the Common all summer. After that, said Sculpture Park Chair, Barbara L'Heureux, at a recent Select Board meeting, the hope is that the organization that sponsored each pig will display the pig on their property around town, and the Sculpture Park can host a map of where each pig is located for a kind of art scavenger hunt.
For now, a map identifying where each pig can be found on the Common is hosted on the Sculpture Park website and in the gallery below.
The goal of the Sculpture Park, founder Jon Sachs told the Select Board, is to give Burlington something to make it stand apart from its neighbors. Rather than being known for the Mall, Sachs wants the town to be known for its support of arts and culture. The Sculpture Park Committee hopes this installation will be a further step toward that goal.
For more information about The Sculpture Park and Pigs on Parade, including the businesses sponsoring the pigs and the artists who painted them, visit the Burlington Sculpture Park website.
