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Zoo's Art Gone Wild Offers Original Art Created By Zoo Animals

September 14, 2012 - Knoxville Zoo will be featuring some of the wildest art you've ever seen at a special after-hours event. Art Gone Wild!, a special show and sale of original artwork created by zoo animals, will be held on Friday, September 21, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at Knoxville Zoo. Art Gone Wild! patrons can enjoy wine, beer and hors d'oeuvres as they peruse inspired works available for purchase by some of the zoo's artists in residence. The offering includes paintings by black bears, chimpanzees (with special pieces by youngster George), Western lowland gorillas, African elephants, African painted dogs, meerkats, beavers, North American river otters, African lions, Malayan and Bengal tigers, South African penguins, red river hogs, Sicilian donkeys, Hamadryas baboons, Grant's zebras, Southern white rhinos, and the zoo's African crested porcupine. The show will also feature collaborative works created by multiple animals. Guests will get a chance to see some of the artists at work when the African elephants demonstrate their painting skills for event-goers. The evening will also feature special training and enrichment sessions with zoo animals. All proceeds from Art Gone Wild! go to fund the zoo's enrichment program, which is an integral part of the zoo's animal husbandry practices that ensures the physical and psychological well-being of the animals in the zoo's care. By incorporating interesting objects, scents and foods, as well as training and painting sessions into the daily activities the animals experience, zoo keepers make sure their charges are stimulated both mentally and physically. The zoo's enrichment program contributes significantly to the overall health and happiness of the animals and also has the benefit of improving the success of breeding programs and adaptability to new situations. Art Gone Wild! is for guests 21 years and older, and a photo ID will be required to enter the event. Tickets are $30 per person and are available online at www.knoxvillezoo.org, by phone at 865-637-5331 and at the zoo's ticket window during business hours as well as the evening of the event. Zoo members receive a $5 discount. Tickets are limited for this event, and attendees are encouraged to take advantage of advance purchase options. Knoxville Zoo is Knoxville's largest year-round attraction. Located off exit 392 from Interstate 40, the zoo is open every day except Christmas Day. Knoxville Zoo is nationally accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and is committed to the highest standards in animal care and well-being, ethics, conservation, and education. Currently, the zoo is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and weekends from 9:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Admission and ticket sales stop one-hour before the zoo closes. Next-day admission is free after 3 p.m. For more information, please call 865-637-5331 ext. 300 or visit www.knoxvillezoo.org.

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