Moose are still on the loose

Photo: Lexie Larson // Neighbors of Park City.

22 years ago a strange and colorful phenomenon enveloped the town of Park City, captivating the art scene and creating a buzz that generated like fire throughout town, mesmerizing locals and visitors alike and engaging the public in a community-wide project that united businesses, artists, residents, nonprofits and local leadership in a rare show of solidarity and support, and whose efforts still resound over two decades later.

It was the early 2000’s and local resident Rebecca Lyman, who also owned a home in Montana, became intrigued by a local art installation that had created a buzz on the streets of Whitefish. A local group had visualized and created a full-sized art installation using artists to design and fabricate fifteen full-sized moose structures, auctioning them off to benefit three local charities. Seeing the energy around the project and the hundreds of visitors who flocked to Whitefish for a viewing set off a lightbulb in Rebecca’s head. “I was good friends with the woman who was involved in the Montana project, and I thought it was such a great idea for Park City,” she recalls. 

In the meantime, Teri Orr, then Executive Director of the Park City Performing Arts Foundation (PCPAF), had asked Rebecca to serve on a new board that would act as a connector for three of Park City’s premier arts nonprofits–the Kimball Art Center, PCPAF, and the Egyptian Theater. Rebecca pitched the idea to the new group, and it resonated. “I broached the project to Teri, and she was all over it, so I reached out to my contact in Whitefish. We got the recipe for the whole thing,” she laughed. “They were so excited for us to do it in Park City–that’s how it began.”

Very quickly the idea took root and “Moose on the Loose” Park City was born. Twenty-two full-sized moose sculptures (plus a moose head) were commissioned, with artists from all mediums signing up to design and build a themed moose sculpture. When word of the ambitious project hit the streets, residents and businesses quickly caught the bug, sponsoring the purchase of the “taxidermized” full-sized foam moose for artists’ creations, donated time, and materials for moving the sculptures around town for display. Many businesses offered private garages and workspaces for artists to spend months creating their “moosterpieces.” Rebecca spearheaded getting the raw moose figures outfitted with hooves, antlers, tails and waddles in the “Moose Lodge,” a donated space at The Shop Yoga Studio. 

Pre-construction complete, the artists got to work, spending months creating their designs and final product. Using materials from bronze to river rock to carefully applied mirrors, each moose had a name and a story, many sharing a visual narrative of Park City’s storied mining history to its current iteration of a winter sports and recreation paradise. Designs were whimsical, elegant, bold, and one-of-a-kind. Some artists were already renowned while others were new to the Park City community. With the buzz around town at an all-time high, the project already had accomplished its mission, according to Teri.  “It made a real statement that there was an arts community, and it was both visual and performing and it really changed and elevated the idea in this joint effort. It shone a light on the fact that we have great artists that were unsung and underappreciated. There were people who really wanted to participate, and this was a great way for new people to get involved.”

Lindon Leader, a local artist and world-renown graphic designer whose international acclaim includes the branding of FedEx, remembers his experience creating “Uncle Moe—The WWII “veteran” moose who went South for the Winter,” replete with shorts, a South Pacific island-inspired shirt, sunglasses and black socks, as a “breath of fresh air.” “Unlike working with clients, I had the freedom to do whatever I wanted,” says Lindon, “and I just adored the process. It was so wonderful. It was so different from anything I had done before.”

Sandy Geldhof, one of the members of the committee organizing the program and then Director of Development for the Kimball Art Center, noted that the community as a whole jumped on board with hundreds of businesses and residents wanting to participate. “We had moose merchandise for sale, maps were made showing each moose’s display location for ‘moose tours,’ someone donated a website, and dozens of residents formed a ‘moose patrol’ whose job it was to clean and move snow from around the sculptures. Businesses offered catering, we had an educational outreach component for students, the police helped patrol, everyone played a part.”

The project culminated in a live auction on December 27, 2003 at the Kimball Art Center, then located at the corner of Heber and Park avenues, which included all 22 moose sculptures displayed on the street with spotlights, a livestream provided by Park City Television, and a phone bank donated by Spring Communications for people at home to call in bids. “It was crazy. We actually convinced Ron Ivey, the Park City chief building official at the time, to let us shoot fireworks off the water tower,” she laughed. “Getting the city to shut down Heber Avenue in a snowstorm to create a display of all the finished moose was unheard of, but just shows how much the entire town got excited about this project. It defied all expectations.” 

While the community rallied around the hype and excitement of the project, Teri says there were some who doubted that the ultimate fundraising goals would be accomplished. “So many people were telling us that no one would come and that we were foolish to think this would work or raise any real money.” Those predictions turned out to be inconsequential when the auction raised $416,500––the largest amount of money ever raised in a nonprofit fundraiser (at the time)––to be equally disbursed between the three nonprofits. “People were pouring in the door to get a seat inside the Kimball, it was standing room only,” Teri recalled. 

Mary Leader, who served on the moose committee and was on the board of the Egyptian Theater at the time, said Moose on the Loose was a true legacy art project for the community. “I don’t think there’s anything that has come along since that has had that level of community involvement, or has raised so much money for the arts,” she said. It was really special.”

22 years later, many of the moose have been resold to private residents or moved to other locations, but several still appear on the streets of Park City, including the mirror-adorned moose at Silver Mountain Sports Club, Loosey Moosey on Main Street and Dogs of Bark City at the corner of Deer Valley Drive and Park Avenue, a testament to the enduring legacy of public art and a community that stepped up in “moosetastic” fashion.