From Carolina Morning News, 26 May 2000

Officials fired up over torched art cow
'Act of terrorism against the community' is being investigated by police.
By Lolita Huckaby

BEAUFORT -- Who'd want to hurt a fiberglass cow?

Beaufort residents who've come to know and love the 27 art cows that have been "vacationing" in Beaufort since mid-April were shocked Thursday as news spread through the community that one of them had been torched by vandals during the night.

All that remained of the brightly painted cow at the corner of Ribaut Road and Bay Street was scorched grass around the concrete base and a tiny section of charred hoof.

"I'm shocked ... appalled ... the kids are going to be devastated," said Margaret Rushton of the Humanities School, which co-sponsored the cow with Lady's Island Middle School.

The school is only a few blocks away from where the cow had stood and many of the students, just like other passing motorists, had not noticed its absence during the morning drive time.

The fire, at one of the city's major intersections, was reported around 2:30 a.m. but by the time fire trucks arrived from three blocks away, the cow, entitled, "Merci, Henri," had burned to the ground.

Police are investigating.

Eric Holowacz, executive director of the Arts Council of Beaufort County, was disappointed Thursday morning after meeting with law enforcement officials.

"Stupidity and cowardice had to have been the motive for this," he said. "Why else would someone hurt a simple piece of art that so many have come to love? I consider it an act of terrorism against the community."

The cows are on loan from the city of Chicago, although several in the collection belong to private citizens. The Arts Council had to insure the entire collection before it was moved to Beaufort.

Ironically, the vandalism occurred on the night of the Arts Council's annual meeting, where Michael Lash, director of Chicago's public arts program, was the keynote speaker.

"There's no way to know if there was any connection with the timing or it was just a simple, stupid act of vandalism," Holowacz said. "This type of vandalism can happen anytime, anywhere, whether it's to a cow, your car, your house."

Holowacz said there are no plans to relocate the cows, which have been attracting locals and visitors alike, to possibly safer locations.

"Unfortunately, when you're dealing with public art, you have to be prepared for anything, whether it's someone breaking a horn off one of the cows or worse, such as this," he said.

"But good and bad happens in every community and we're not going to take the art away from the public."



Anyone with information about the burned cow is asked to call Crimestoppers at 1-800-525-7175 or contact Sgt. Howard Greene at the Beaufort Police Department at (843) 470-3001. A reward is being offered.

From Northwestern University Medill News Service, 11 May 2000

Cows on the mooove again

by Allison Pries


The cows are moo-ving south for a three-month vacation.

Beaufort, South Carolina will exhibit 27 of the decorated cows from Chicago's Public Art exhibition, "Cows on Parade," last summer.

Beaufort's exhibit, "Cows on Vacation," will kick off Saturday and run until the beginning of July, when most of the cows will be returned to Chicago.

The cows have been primped and were loaded onto two moving trucks Tuesday morning, ready for their trip south--one even dressed in a bathing suit, swim cap and goggles and ready to hit the beach.

"We're thrilled to share a bit of Chicago with Beaufort," said Lois Weisberg, commissioner of Cultural Affairs. "The cows charmed and delighted millions of residents and visitors last summer and now the work of the Chicago artists will be enjoyed on the East Coast, as well."

"Beaufort doesn't have a lot of public art," said Eric Vaughn Holowacz, executive director of the Arts Council of Beaufort County. "But, we have wonderful natural beauty."

The rural seaside town, located between Charleston and Savannah, is rich with history--the downtown area, where most of the cows will be displayed, is part of a National Historic District--and Holowacz said there is a growing number of resorts and retirement communities.

The first Spanish settlers arrived near Beaufort in 1562. Shortly thereafter French and English settlers came and established cattle farms, which are still a presence now. "But, the area is giving way to gated communities," Holowacz said. "The cows could stand for our agrarian past and the growth of tourism as a major industry."

The cows will arrive just in time for Beaufort's tourist season. "It's an asset to people who normally come here and it will hopefully attract more visitors," said Marcia Spivey, of Main Street Beaufort, U.S.A., an organization of downtown businesses.

Holowacz heard about "Cows on Parade" from citizens of Beaufort who visited Chicago.

One was Ginnie Meeks, who came to Chicago with three of her co-workers. "We went to Lilith Fair, a Cubs game, all the touristy things. But our favorite was the cows," she said.

"Instead of duplicating or copying the idea, we decided to tap into it by inviting the cows down here," Holowacz said.

Holowacz needed to get permission from the approximately 150 different owners of the cows to ship them down. By December Holowacz had 10 cows committed to the exhibit. "I got excited but it was a big logistical project with shipping, insurance and installation that would be needed," he said.

Weisberg stepped in and helped with the shipping plans while Holowacz petitioned Beaufort businesses to sponsor a cow for $500 to cover the $15,000 transportation and insurance expenses.

Two of the cows will be displayed in Port Royal, a city five minutes from Beaufort and home of one of three transportation ports in the state.

One cow will welcome visitors to the Lowcountry visitors' center off Interstate 95, an area known as the gateway to Beaufort County.

Another will be suspended at the Penn Center museum, an historical and cultural center for on the Sea Island of St. Helena.

And, Hunting Island, a Barrier Island that is a state park, will have a cow inside the lighthouse.

"When you put something that artists have created in a setting that didn't have anything--like these wild colorful cows--and see how people respond, it could lead to more permanent public art projects," he said.

"Beaufort is a wonderful walking town," Meeks said, so the cows will be enjoyed. But, she said, "I don't think people have any idea what it's going to be like."