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Sale Of The Century: Steam Pig Could Be Yours!
June 9, 2011
A 55-foot-long piece of steampunk-inspired barnyard-cyborg art, Steam Pig, is for sale. It has to be moved by the end of July. Its creators are listening to all offers (Interested buyers can visit Steam Pig’s web site).
“There’s not gonna be another one,” said Jerry Adams, a designer acting as the artists’ broker. “It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Steam Pig was built for the 2010 ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It didn’t win, but its mega-porcine mass ensured that it stayed where it was. The metalloid porker quickly became a downtown icon. “You give directions by where the pig is,” said Gerry. “There’s a real groundswell of support to keep it here.”
Unfortunately, “here” can’t include the parking lot where it currently stands, which has to be cleared for the 2011 ArtPrize competition. Steam Pig’s size is part of what makes it special, but it also makes it hard to sell. “When you stand underneath that thing, it’s like, wow, that is a big pig.”
Gerry said that he’d already contacted local barbecue restaurants, Hollywood movie studios, the University of Arkansas Razorbacks, and Cincinnati, Ohio (aka “Porkopolis“). Thus far, no sale. The city, which purchased a Loch Ness Monster previously created by the artists, isn’t an option. “I don’t think they want to be seen as the repository for whatever these guys come up with.”
Jerry is, however, hopeful that Steam Pig can find a home with someone who genuinely appreciates it. “I don’t mind the rejections, because it’s always an interesting conversation,” said Gerry. “Worse case scenario, it gets parked on a street corner somewhere, and then we raise money selling candy bars.”
Steam Pig, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Sections: Attraction News, Statues 2 Comments »
RoadsideAmerica.com Team Field Report
Giant Steampunk Flying Pig
- Directions:
- Steam Pig was removed by crane and disassembled on August 15, 2011. Its creators still hope that someone will purchase the mechaporker and re-erect it elsewhere.
- Status:
- Gone
July 31st, 2011 at 8:22 pm
I checked with my Rabbi and he suggested that I pass on this one. Said it would not look good outside my Kosher restaurant lol.
August 3rd, 2011 at 2:39 pm
Why not contact the City of Kewanee, Illinois, known as the Hog Capital of the World? They could put it in their city park for the annual Hog Days Festival over Labor Day weekend.