OVERVIEW
CowParade is the largest and most celebrated public art event in the world, with over 100 cities participating since its inception in 1999. Life-size cow sculptures are transformed by local artists and auctioned off for charity. CowParade returns to San Antonio for the first time since 2003, with CHRISTUS Children’s as its exclusive charity partner. When you donate to CowParade, you’re providing crucial care to those in need. More than 70 larger-than-life, uniquely painted cows are placed around San Antonio from June through August for locals and visitors to enjoy until auctioned off.
APPROACH
In collaboration with my creative team and the communication team at The CE Group, I was tasked with expanding and designing items for CowParade such as ads, newsletters, invitations, the fiesta medal, map, signage, brochures, presentation slides, web, products, etc. The design is consistent in reflecting the partnership with CHRISTUS Children's by utilizing their brand colors and assets while simultaneously representing CowParade. In addition to designing, I applied and was selected to be one of the artists to participate in the movement. This allowed me to gain two perspectives of the overall goal and outcome of CowParade.
OVERVIEW
The cows for CowParade will be painted by top and emerging artists and designers in San Antonio, along with a collection of young, student artists and possible collaborations between established and young artists. Each cow or herd of cows will be sponsored by a local business, organization or individual. At the conclusion of the public display, the cows will be auctioned off and sold for the benefit of CHRISTUS Children’s.
CowParade is looking for two types of designs:
1.) A design you would like to create if you could only paint one cow
2.) Designs celebrating the history and culture of San Antonio
1.) A design you would like to create if you could only paint one cow
2.) Designs celebrating the history and culture of San Antonio
APPROACH
A Garden of Us was inspired by a visit to the Briscoe Western Art Museum, where a phrase on the wall deeply resonated with me: “Before there was written word, we used pictures to tell a story…These images are legacy. Humanity.” This message reminded me of the timeless role of art as a means of storytelling and connection across generations.
Building on that inspiration, I designed my cow to reflect the essence of humanity. Each part of the design represents one of ten core human qualities: Love, Trust, Peace, Patience, Creativity, Resilience, Wisdom, Integrity, Gratitude, and Kindness. These values are the threads that tie us together across cultures and time, and my goal was to visually celebrate them in a way that feels both personal and universal. I also began designing social posts to bring those qualities to life.
A Garden of Us is placed at Pearl from June to the end of August and will be auctioned off in September 2025.
