Janine Bolling was one of the winning artists whose creative design won her the opportunity to paint one of the life-size, fiberglass cows in New York City’s CowParade. 

During the summer of 2000, the herd of cows mooooved into New York City. Each cow took up residence in tourist spots, historical landmarks, and public parks. The CowParade was a massive outdoor public art show designed to increase tourism and raise lots of moooolah for the area organizations and local charities. It was the first of its kind in NYC and spanned throughout the city’s five boroughs. The idea for the exhibit originated in Zurich, Switzerland in 1998. Similar events have been hosted in several major cities throughout the US, many of which featured different themes such as pigs in Cincinnati, angels in Los Angles.

Thousands of New York professional and amateur artists, as well as school children, competed for a spot to have their cow featured. At the time, Janine was an honor student at Roy H. Mann Junior High School in Brooklyn. She explained, “Ms. Brill, my art teacher, gave our class a picture of a cow and told us to design it in a way that represented New York City. I thought that since another name for New York City is the Big Apple, then I would design my cow to look like an apple and put a stem on her back.” Janine called the cow the Big Cow Apple.

When Janine was informed that hers was one of the winning designs, she explained, “I was so surprised. At first, I thought my idea was too simple!” When the life-size fiberglass cow was delivered to her school, she discovered that painting and preparing it for public display was anything but simple. “I didn’t know it would be so big! I chose two classmates for my team, and for two hours every day after school, for two weeks, we painted and painted. The hardest part was making the stem. I had to construct it out of clay and then weld it onto the back of the cow.”

After two weeks of work, the cow was finished, and prominently displayed at Penn Station in front of Madison Square Garden. “I felt proud that something I created on my own was there for everyone to see. I’m also glad that my dad, who is a professional artist, didn’t give me any help on the project. Otherwise, it would have been HIS idea and not MINE!”

Janine explained, “In art, there is no correct way to do something. You are totally free. Don’t be afraid to be unique and use your own ideas. Believe in yourself.”
(Brooklyn, New York: 2000)

Illustration & story by Elgin Bolling, Janine’s dad