Jaguar statues are moving into NYC’s most famous sites
Photograph: By Rossilynne Skena Culgan | Artist Pedro Silva paints a jaguar sculpture in Central Park.
See how many of the 40 statues you can find around town.
Beginning the following week, 40 life-size jaguar sculptures will be displayed outside as part of an art exhibition.
From September 7 to October 5, you may view the exquisitely painted sculptures across New York City as part of the Jaguar Parade NYC 2022. Every jaguar has a unique stance and color scheme that have been painted by international artisans. At famous locations like Tavern on the Green, United Nations Headquarters Plaza, Central Park Zoo, and Times Square, the sculptures will be on exhibit.
The occasion aims to spread knowledge and finances about the critical need to protect jaguars and their natural habitats. The event will conclude with an art auction, with all net proceeds going toward jaguar conservation initiatives.
According to The Jaguar Parade’s website, “placing the jaguar statues in significant public spaces puts the environmental concern to the fore of the public’s attention, reaching millions of people in a very unique way.”
In front of the renowned Tavern on the Green in Central Park on Friday afternoon, artist Pedro Silva was using a paintbrush to add his distinctive black-and-white design on a roughly five-foot tall jaguar sculpture.
“The idea is to use black and white since the message should take precedence over aesthetics. I Love My Self is the largest and most important phrase I made for this region, Silva stated, reflecting on his body of work and the difficulties he had during his immigration from Brazil to the United States. I needed a mantra as a tool to help me assimilate into a new culture and as a working artist in New York.
A crowd gathered to watch Silva’s plein-air painting with exclamations of “oh my gosh!” and “awesome!”
About The Jaguar Parade
According to Carol Baretto, the program’s founder, the Jaguar Parade began in So Paulo, Brazil in 2019 following several successful Elephant Parades of a similar nature.
The crew soon came to the conclusion that the Elephant Parades were quite powerful, according to Baretto. We are bringing attention to an animal that is in no way related to Brazilians.
She made the decision to highlight a local animal and is thrilled to bring the Jaguar Parade to New York Metropolis, despite the fact that the city is not the natural habitat for the continent’s largest cat. The Jaguars, according to the team, represent New York’s strengths, beauty, freedom, and resiliency.
Global conservation organizations like the United Nations Environment, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Wildlife Conservation Society, Panthera, World Wildlife Fund, and the Lion’s Share sponsor the Jaguar Parade NYC 2022.
About jaguars
Currently, jaguars may be found in 18 nations in Latin America, from Mexico to Argentina. Despite having a wide range, jaguars are no longer found in approximately half of their historical range. The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species classifies the jaguar as “near threatened.” Protecting wetlands, tropical forests, and other habitats is necessary to assist these species.
