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Posted July 20, 2016
Arts & Culture, Democratic National Convention, College of Education and Human Development, Tyler School of Art and Architecture

Temple artists design donkeys

Five Temple alumni designed and painted 10 of the DNC's Donkeys Around Town.

A colorfully painted DNC donkey representing Tennessee.
Photography By: 
Ryan Brandenberg
Brian Cesario, TYL ’78, designed the Donkeys Around Town for Tennessee and Kentucky. A total of five Temple alumni designed and painted 10 of the 57 donkeys decorating Philadelphia during the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

As delegates descend on Philadelphia for the 2016 Democratic National Convention, they’ll be greeted by a drove of colorful donkeys decorating the city. Donkeys Around Town, an art installation conceived by the Democratic National Convention Host Committee and executed with support from ArtJawn, features 57 fiberglass donkeys, each painted by a local artist to represent a participating convention delegation. Ten of the donkeys, which will be on display through September 9, were designed and painted by Temple alumni.

Each artistic Owl—Brad Carney, TYL ’02; Brian Cesario, TYL ’78; Colleen McCubbin Stepanic, TYL ’03; Ellen Tiberino, EDU ’05; and Joy Waldinger, TYL ’15—applied to be one of the 30 artists selected for the installation. They were each assigned two states or territories and worked with those delegations to develop design concepts for their donkeys. The delegates gave artists a list of six elements that represent the state or territory, and the artist chose between three and six to be reflected on the donkey.

  • A donkey painted with visual elements representing Michigan.
    Artist Brad Carney, TYL ’02, created Michigan’s donkey, which is on display at the African American Museum (701 Arch St.). The design elements of the Michigan donkey highlight the University of Michigan’s colors, Maize and Blue, the Detroit skyline and the Mackinac Bridge.
  • A donkey painted with visual elements representing Minnesota.
    Artist Brad Carney, TYL ’02, created Minnesota’s donkey, which is on display at the Sonesta Philadelphia (1800 Market St.). The design elements of the Minnesota donkey feature musician Prince, former Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone, former Vice President Walter Mondale, Split Rock Lighthouse, a lady's slipper (the state flower), a common loon (the state bird) and some of the state’s many lakes.
  • A donkey painted with visual elements representing Kentucky.
    Artist Brian Cesario, TYL ’78, created Kentucky’s donkey, which is on display at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown (201 N. 17th St.). The design elements of the Kentucky donkey include the state flag worn as a thoroughbred race mask, Daniel Boone at Cumberland Gap, a Lincoln penny, the Appalachian Mountains, a Kentucky bourbon barrel and the Kentucky Derby to represent thoroughbred racing.
  • A donkey painted with visual elements representing Tennessee.
    Artist Brian Cesario, TYL ’78, created Tennessee’s donkey, which is located at Spruce Street Harbor Park (301 S. Columbus Blvd.). The design elements of the Tennessee donkey highlight the Chattanooga Choo Choo, Ryman Auditorium, the Smoky Mountains, Memphis’s famed Beale Street, musical notes and the Tennessee state flag.
  • A donkey painted with visual elements representing Colorado.
    Artist Colleen McCubbin Stepanic, TYL ’03, created Colorado’s donkey, which is can be seen outside of the Union League (140 S. Broad St.). The design elements used to decorate the Colorado donkey include Pueblo Chile peppers, skiing, a “Welcome to Colorful Colorado” highway sign, elk, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Rocky Mountain Columbine (the state flower) and Great Plains with windmills.
  • A donkey painted with visual elements representing Colorado.
    Artist Colleen McCubbin Stepanic, TYL ’03, created Nevada’s donkey, which is displayed at The Logan Hotel (1 Logan Square). The design elements of the Nevada donkey highlight the iconic glowing Reno and Las Vegas signs, a desert night sky, the Hoover Dam, the Mike O'Callahan Bridge, the Red Rocks Canyon, bighorn sheep and Lake Tahoe. Photo courtesy of ArtJawn.
  • A donkey painted with visual elements representing Democrats living abroad.
    Artist Ellen Tiberino, EDU ’05, created the donkey that represents Democrats living abroad. The design elements of the donkey include well-known international landmarks such as Niagara Falls in Canada, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and Mount Fuji in Japan. Photo courtesy of ArtJawn.
  • A donkey painted with visual elements representing Puerto Rico.
    Artist Ellen Tiberino, EDU ’05, created Puerto Rico’s donkey, which is on display at Passyunk Square (East Passyunk Ave.). The Puerto Rico donkey is decorated with a traditional Puerto Rican mask, the beach and the Puerto Rican flag. Photo courtesy of ArtJawn.
  • A donkey painted with visual elements representing North Dakota.
    Artist Joy Waldinger, TYL ’15, designed North Dakota’s donkey, which is on display at the Wyndham Hotel (400 Arch St.). The design elements of the North Dakota donkey focus on the state’s agriculture, badlands terrain, Native Americans and prairie flowers.
  • A donkey painted with visual elements representing Washington.
    Artist Joy Waldinger, TYL ’15, designed Washington’s donkey, which can be seen outside of City Tavern (138 South 2nd St.). The design elements of the Washington donkey highlight an Evergreen forest, salmon, mountains and apples (the state fruit).

 

- Meaghan Bixby
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