Art Gone Wild! Offers Original Art And Craft Created By Zoo Animals

Communications Director

Kristin Farley
[email protected]
(865) 215-2589

400 Main St., Room 691
Knoxville, TN 37902

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Art Gone Wild! Offers Original Art And Craft Created By Zoo Animals

Posted: 09/24/2015
Art Gone Wild at the ZooKnoxville Zoo will be hosting a special after-hours event featuring original art and craft created by the zoo’s animal “artists."Art Gone Wild!, a special show and sale of original paintings and customized gift items will be held on Friday, October 2, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at Knoxville Zoo. 
    
Art Gone Wild! attendees can enjoy wine, beer and hors d’oeuvres while shopping for original works of art and craft created by the zoo’s animals as part of the zoo’s animal enrichment program.  The offering includes paintings by Southern white rhinos, South African penguins, African elephants, zebras, gibbons, chimpanzees, Western lowland gorillas, baboons, African lions, Malayan and Bengal tigers, red pandas, a variety of reptiles, and some very clever birds including Einstein, the zoo’s famous Congo African grey parrot.  Craft items decorated by the animals, including coasters, cups, tote and gift bags and hats, and original photography by Wendell Hackler will be available for purchase during the event.  
 
All proceeds from Art Gone Wild! fund the zoo’s enrichment program, which is an integral part of the zoo’s animal husbandry practices that ensures the physical and psychological well-being of the animals in the zoo’s care.  By incorporating interesting objects, scents and foods, as well as training and painting sessions into the daily activities the animals experience, zoo keepers make sure their charges are stimulated both mentally and physically.  The zoo’s enrichment program contributes significantly to the overall health and happiness of the animals and also has the benefit of improving the success of breeding programs and adaptability to new situations.

Art Gone Wild! is for guests 18 years of age and older, and a photo ID will be required to enter the event.  Tickets are $30 per person and are available online at www.knoxvillezoo.org, by phone at 865-637-5331 and at the zoo’s ticket window during business hours.   Tickets will also be available the evening of the event.  Zoo members receive a $5 discount.  Tickets are limited for this event, and attendees are encouraged to take advantage of advance purchase options.     
 
Knoxville Zoo is Knoxville’s largest year-round attraction.  Located off exit 392 from Interstate 40, the zoo is open every day except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Knoxville Zoo is nationally accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and is committed to the highest standards in animal care and well-being, ethics, conservation, and education. Currently, the zoo is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and weekends from 9:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.  Admission and ticket sales stop one-hour before the zoo closes. Next-day admission is free after 3 p.m. For more information, please call 865.637.5331 ext. 300 or visit www.knoxvillezoo.org.