“Pongos Helping Pongos” - Fund Raiser for the Orangutans at The Houston Zoo
Orangutans are critically endangered. Optimistic estimates place the current population between 15,000 and 25,000. One of man’s closest relatives, the orangutan could go extinct in the wild within the decade if the destruction of their habitat continues at the current rate. Yearning to make a difference, the primate keepers of the Houston Zoo realized they had an unusual commodity: beautiful paintings produced by amazing animals that would not only raise money and awareness to save the only Asian great ape, but also enrich the lives of the animals here at the zoo. After many hours of work by dedicated zoo staff, numerous contributions from generous donors and lots of painting on the part of our orangutan friends, Pongos Helping Pongos was born. To date, the project has raised nearly $60,000.
The 2008 Pongos Helping Pongos will be held on the evening of March 29, 2008. In addition to orangutan art, the event will also include paintings by our elephants and siamangs. Each painting will be professionally framed and accompanied by conservation information and an animal artist biography. The paintings will be displayed at G Gallery in the Heights for a single night in a fine arts setting, including a wine and cheese reception and photographic portraits of the featured artists (but taken by humans). At the close of the evening, all the paintings and portraits will be sold by silent auction and all the proceeds donated to the preservation of orangutans in their natural habitats.
Learn more:
http://www.ggalleryhouston.com/
