More city dwellers have herd of art

Yet some view the fiberglass "cattle crossings" as an out-of-vogue nuisance. Allison Campbell, a 20-something blogger who moved to Madison from Chicago, has seen the fanciful art cows in both cities, but her enthusiasm about the animal-inspired city art has waned since the Chicago event seven years ago.

"I have nothing against cows," she wrote on her blog on the day of the Madison opening. "I'm just ambivalent about their man-made cousins."

The art-cow event also has fielded its share of criticism from art critics, some of whom say the event is less art and more mannequin parade.

"The ubiquitous question is, 'But is it art?' " says Louis Torres, coeditor of Aristos, an online review of the arts. "The answer is no," he says. "The cows are more closely related to mannequins, which at least have a legitimate utilitarian function – to display clothing."

Mr. Torres saw the art cows displayed around New York City, where he lives, but lumps the animal sculptures in the same nonart category as clocks, teapots, and lamp bases. "There's a banality to the [cows]," he adds.

But Fox of CowParade says the "Is it art, or isn't it?" debate is not what the event is all about. "Our intent is not to produce a high-art event, but [to] bring very accessible art to the public," he says. The artist, in turn, benefits from the exposure as does the sponsor.

Beaman Cole, a professional artist who painted two cows – "Tea Party Cow" and "Leav'n Town Cow" – for the Boston event, says art cows are exactly what art is supposed to be: fun.

"Anytime you're doing something that conveys a feeling and some sort of idea, it's art," he says. "It doesn't matter whether it's a canvas or a cow."

Although art cows and other painted animals have evolved considerably – becoming more creative and sophisticated – in the eight years since Zurich, they face considerable challenges in the future: vandalism, for one.

In Paris, where art cows are on display through the end of summer, more than 40 percent of its 80 cows have been vandalized – or stolen outright – compared with about 3 percent of the cows that "pastured" in Chicago and New York.

The most common act of vandalism is graffiti. But in Madison, which has a large population of college students, "cow tipping" (whereby the cow is tipped over onto its side) is increasingly popular and problematic – particularly to those cows located near downtown bars and nightclubs.

Some cities have taken action against vandals by either moving the cows to other parts of the city or by having volunteers patrol the cows at night, when most of the vandalism occurs.

Yet, Fox says, the joy the art-cow event brings to a majority of locals and tourists far outweighs its criticisms and challenges.

His take on the future of city-dwelling bovines?

"Mooo-ve over," war memorial, the fiberglass art cows seem to be here to stay.

Painted fiberglass animal sculptures have descended on many cities across the United States and around the world this summer, with cows being the most popular. Here's a partial accounting:

Cows – Boston; Denver; Madison, Wis.; Paris; Edinburgh, Scotland; Lisbon

Bears – St. Joseph, Miss.; Tahoe, Nev.

Cats and dogs – Scottsdale, Ariz. (various); Aspen, Colo. (Labrador retrievers)

Dragons – Naperville, Ill.

Llamas – Ludlow, Vt.

Ducks – Larchmont, N.Y.

Deer – Bellevue, Wash.

Pigs – Oak Park, Ill.

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