By Annie Pilon
If you have been online over the past 6 months, you probably know about Grumpy Cat. The feline sensation (aka, Tardar Sauce) has been all over the Web. Grumpy Cat’s owners have even applied for a trademark on Grumpy Cat because her image is so iconic.
That recognition factor is what Media Director Dustin Timbrook (pictured below) was counting on when he organized an art project revolving around the online sensation at Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment in Huntsville, Alabama.
Justin Timbrook
The Grumpy Cat Art Project features original works of art — starring Grumpy Cat. There’s a business purpose behind it all. The purpose is to gain nationwide exposure for the local artists at Lowe Mill.
“The hope is that by using a universally recognized character like Grumpy Cat, more people will pay attention and look at the artwork,” said Timbrook. “But then if they like the style of one of the pieces, maybe they’ll go look at the artist’s other work.”
The project has worked so far. Participating artists have had their pieces shared on sites like The Huffington Post and The Today Show. And the owners of Grumpy Cat have even shared the project links on their own site and Facebook account.
At first, the project was just meant to draw attention to the artistic talent at Lowe Mill. But after receiving many suggestions to sell the pieces, Timbrook, who is also participating in the project as an artist (pictured above), decided to organize an online auction. All proceeds of the auction will go to the individual artists and to build a playground at Lowe’s Mill, which is an arts center and has a historic mill. The online auction is scheduled for May 27 through 31, 2013.
Below is a sampling of the artists creations.
Jennifer Stottle
Nolan Cash
Judson Portzer
Jim Seaquist
Joe Williams
Holly Morningstar
Calvin Hubbard
Gina Percifull
Denise Williams
To see all of the artists creations, visit the Lowe Mill Grumpy Cat Art Project.