Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Brings Youth Artistry to the IZOD Center

Partners with Local School Children to Create One of a Kind Elephant Sculpture

March 4, 2010 – This year Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents Barnum’s FUNundrum patrons are going to see a special art exhibit created by local students when they come to the IZOD Center March 10-14. The IZOD Center, Feld Entertainment and the Barat Foundation have partnered to create a special elephant sculpture to commemorate the show while involving the local community. 

There are four local New Jersey groups involved in painting and creating the elephant sculpture. Two organizations are focusing on Arts and Education; Central High School will work on the project during school and The Newark Boys Choir will get credits for their choir by working on it after school. Two groups are focused on Arts and Prevention; The Performance Learning Center of Communities in School at the YEES Alternative Education Center and Big Picture Schools. Not only are the students involved in developing the sculpture, they are also asked to research and write an essay about the mythology of elephants and the recycling components of the project.

The Barat Foundation has created several types of sculpture, which they have termed “animodules.” The animodule is a few pieces of materials slotted together to make a 3D animal sculpture. They are light weight and easily mobile, and the elephant is the Barat Foundation’s largest art piece to date. It will be displayed in the IZOD Center, and will continue its life after Ringling Bros. has left the building through an arts walk and display at other venues.

In order to incorporate both Ringling Bros. Circus and the students involved in the elephant project, several events will take place over the next few weeks. First, clowns will help install the sculpture in the IZOD Center this week. When the show is in town, the students will have role reversal when they take a class where the elephant does the painting. They will get to see how the elephant is able to paint with its trunk, and they will then draw from the inspiration of this four ton pachyderm. Following this lesson, the students will be invited to stay and watch the show. Patrons to Barnum’s FUNundrum will be encouraged to take photos in front of the Elephant Animodule and post them on IZOD Center’s Facebook page to win special prizes.

Tickets are $15.00, $20.00, $30.00, $50.00 (VIP), 70.00 (VIP Gold) and $150 (Circus Celebrity). Opening Night tickets are $12.00 (excluding VIP and Circus Celebrity seats).  Tickets are available at the IZOD Center Box Office (Mon-Fri 11 AM- 6 PM), all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster Charge By Phone at (800)-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com.  Groups of 20+ contact IZOD Center Group Sales at 201-460-4370 for special discounts.For more information visit IZODCenter.com.

"Building A Stronger Community" is the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority employee relations and community outreach that demonstrates the commitment of the Meadowlands Sports Complex and Monmouth Park Racetrack in addressing important social issues with an emphasis on programs that support education, health and community development as well as building a positive corporate culture.

THE NEW JERSEY SPORTS AND EXPOSITION AUTHORITY owns and operates two facilities at the Meadowlands Sports Complex, (IZOD Center, Meadowlands Racetrack) The IZOD Center is one of the world’s leading entertainment venues and is home to the National Basketball Association's NJ Nets.