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Coraline's Curious Cat Trail

Coraline's Curious Cat Trail was a temporary art installation in Portland, Oregon, United States. The series featured 31 statues of cats decorated by various artists, inspired by the 2009 animated film Coraline, which were installed across the city during August 2 – October 13, 2024. Following public display, the sculptures will be auctioned off with proceeds benefitting Oregon Health & Science University's Doernbecher Children's Hospital. The project was a collaborative effort by the hospital, Laika (the Hillsboro-based production company behind Coraline), Downtown Portland Clean and Safe, Visit Downtown, and art installation producer Wild in Art. The final designs were selected from 80 submissions. Sponsors included The Oregonian and Wieden+Kennedy.

Coraline's Curious Cat Trail
Keep Portland Weird by Celeste Potgieter on display at Director Park, October 2024
Year2024 (2024)
MediumSculpture
LocationPortland, Oregon, U.S.
Websitecoralinescuriouscattrail.com

Description

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Described as an "interactive art trail",[1] Coraline's Curious Cat Trail was a temporary art installation in Portland, Oregon. It featured 31 cat statues inspired by the feline character Cat in the 2009 animated film Coraline, which is based on the 2002 novella of the same name by Neil Gaiman and was the first feature film produced by Hillsboro-based Laika, LLC. Various artists hand-painted and otherwise decorated the approximately 6-foot-tall fiberglass sculptures,[2][3][4] and each is unique. The sculptures were on public display for ten weeks (August 2 – October 13, 2024), after which they will be sold at auction with proceeds benefitting Oregon Health & Science University's Doernbecher Children's Hospital.[5]

Coraline's Curious Cat Trail also included an app with a map of the statues and other features,[5] as well as a custom website and playlist on Spotify.[4] In addition to being a fundraiser, the project was part of an effort to revitalize downtown Portland, according to the leader of Portland Metro Chamber.[6][7]

Locations and statues

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Hero Sculpture by Katy Hughes and Rosie Chambers was inspired by the film's character Other Mother

The statues were installed throughout Portland, including at the International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park and at Pittock Mansion in the Tualatin Mountains. In downtown Portland, sculptures were installed at City Hall, Director Park, Jamison Square, the North Park Blocks, Pioneer Courthouse Square, Pioneer Place, the Portland Art Museum, Portland Saturday Market, Skidmore Fountain, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (including Salmon Street Springs), and the World Trade Center.[5] Artworks were also installed outside the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and at Pride Plaza outside the Crystal Ballroom.[8]

A statue designed by Katy Hughes, a lead scenic painter at Laika, and Rosie Chambers, a young patient at Doernbecher, depicts a blue cat with a pink nose and ears, as well as eyes with pink roses and small black spots inspired by the film's character Other Mother. It was unveiled outside OHSU South Waterfront.[5] Celeste Potgieter painted two statues. One features a "fanciful" map depicting Oregon landmarks such as Cannon Beach, the Columbia River Gorge, Crater Lake, and the Oregon Dunes. The other, called Keep Portland Weird, has blue zebra stripes, glitter, a unicorn hat, local imagery, and a depiction of Bigfoot.[4] Rae Sheridan's Jean-Michel Basquiat-inspired sculpture Infinity Kitty has large blue and purple eyes. Sheridan was motivated by giving others "a sense of hope".[4] Another was designed by Arielle Wilkins, a senior designer at the advertising agency and project sponsor Wieden+Kennedy. Her statue was decorated with hundreds of colorful resin flowers. Wilkins said she was motivated to "show the vibrancy" and "the sparkle of Portland".[4]

History

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Teri Hatcher (pictured in 2019), who voiced characters in Coraline, attended the project's countdown event in February 2024.

Coraline's Curious Cat Trail was a collaborative effort by Doernbecher Children's Hospital, Laika, Downtown Portland Clean and Safe, Visit Downtown,[7] and the art installation producer Wild in Art.[5] The project coincided with the fifteenth anniversary of the release of Coraline.[4][9] It also marked the first art trail installation in the U.S. for Wild in Art, which is based in the U.K.[10]

In February 2024, project collaborators hosted a countdown event. Actress Teri Hatcher, who voiced the Coraline characters Mother, Other Mother, and The Beldam, attended the event and said the project brought people together.[1][10][11] A call for artists issued in March 2024 resulted in 80 design submissions. Project sponsors, which included The Oregonian / OregonLive.com and Wieden+Kennedy, helped select the final designs.[4] The project's launch event was held at a plaza outside OHSU South Waterfront on August 2, 2024. Artists, sponsors, and other supporters of the project were in attendance. The statue by Hughes and Chambers was unveiled at the event.[5]

All 31 statues were displayed at Director Park the weekend of October 12–13, ahead of the October 30 auction.[12][13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "'Coraline' themed art trail will celebrate Oregon animators behind film's creation". KGW. 2024-02-23. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  2. ^ "Portland celebrates beloved LAIKA film's anniversary with Coraline's Curious Cat Trail". KATU. 2024-08-02. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  3. ^ "Coraline's Curious Cat Trail". KATU. 2024-08-02. Archived from the original on 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Turnquist, Kristi (2024-08-02). "'Coraline's Curious Cat Trail' artists hope installation will restore Portland 'sparkle'". The Oregonian. Advance Publications. ISSN 8750-1317. OCLC 985410693. Archived from the original on 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Turnquist, Kristi (2024-08-02). "'Coraline's Curious Cat Trail' features cat statues strutting their stuff around Portland". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  6. ^ Seymore, Jami (February 22, 2024). "'Coraline' cat sculptures to help revitalize downtown Portland". KOIN.
  7. ^ a b Deml, Jenna (August 1, 2024). "Dozens of 'Coraline' cat sculptures to appear in Downtown Portland". KOIN. Archived from the original on August 5, 2024. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  8. ^ "Thirty cat statues have been placed around downtown Portland as part of "Coraline's Curious Cat Trail, "an art installation put on by Laika, the Visit Downtown Campaign, OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital, and Wild in Art". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2024-08-14. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  9. ^ Turnquist, Kristi (2024-08-14). "Watch: A 'Coraline' fan created a live-action version of a scene from the animated classic". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2024-08-22. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  10. ^ a b Townsley, Nancy (2024-02-21). "'Coraline's Curious Cat Trail' coming to Portland in August". Portland Tribune. Pamplin Media Group. OCLC 46708462. Archived from the original on 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  11. ^ Turnquist, Kristi (2024-02-22). "Cat sculptures inspired by Laika's classic 'Coraline' are coming to Portland this summer". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2024-08-16. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  12. ^ Turnquist, Kristi (2024-10-09). "'Coraline's Curious Cat Trail,' the Portland installation of cat statues, ends this week". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  13. ^ "31 'Coraline' cat sculptures come together for final weekend before auction". KOIN. 2024-10-12. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
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  'Coraline' themed cat trail coming to downtown Portland in August on YouTube, KGW
  Dozens of ‘Coraline’ cat sculptures to appear in Downtown Portland on YouTube, KOIN
  'Coraline' cat sculptures to help revitalize downtown Portland on YouTube, KOIN
  LAIKA announces 'Coraline's Curious Cat Trail' art installation in Portland on YouTube, KPTV
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