Paws for the Cause – 46millionturkeys
With autumn around the corner, this PAWS post highlights the work of a unique artistic effort raising awareness and compassion for animals, specifically turkeys. The innovative project 46millionturkeys offers a creative way to take action for animals and invites participants of all skill levels to create and share art.
The vision of 46millionturkeys invites participants to conceive of that number in real terms: in eyes, and faces, and lives, with a goal of establishing a collection of portraits that reflect the turkeys raised for one U.S. Thanksgiving. A key to the project is that each bird has a face, ensuring that individual birds are not symbolically erased by the massive number.
That staggering number itself inspired the work of 46millionturkeys, founded by artist Cheryl Miller. The project has its roots with a personal tradition Miller began years ago to create an annual turkey portrait each Thanksgiving. In 2013, she opened the invitation, launching a broad based community participation project aiming to collect 46 million representations of turkeys.
Now the project includes creative work from all over the U.S., and the collection includes a beautiful and stunning diversity of representations of turkey drawings, paintings, fiber art pieces, photos, and other artistic contributions. As of August 2015, a total of 5,014,134 turkeys have been created and counted for the ongoing project. The exhibit has traveled to many galleries, events, and other venues. This year, you can visit the upcoming exhibit from November 7-26 at the Fireseed Arts Gallery in Framingham, Massachusetts.
This community art endeavor is open to everyone: the project is not restricted to artists, vegetarians, vegans, or adults. Miller notes that she receives the most submissions during October and November, but accepts pieces all year long. To join the effort, take a moment to review the guidelines and related information about the submission process to ensure your contribution will count. You may also want to check out the inspiration and contributor pages for awesome ideas.
Art is for the birds, submit to 46millionturkeys!