News & Articles

Carnegie DinoMite Days
Pittsburgh Business Times - 5/02

Carnegie's plan unleashes 100-plus dinosaur models
Organizations mobilize to kick off promotion
Patty Tascarella and Tim SchooleyLarge

A project, tentatively titled "DINO-mite Days," will place large fiberglass dinosaurs painted by artists on street corners throughout the city as part of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History's promotion for its planned $37 million expansion of Dinosaur Hall.
The artsy take on the Mesozoic era's most famously extinct creatures is patterned after the cow "parades" held in other cities in years past, which saw hundreds of decorated fiberglass cows publicly displayed.

According to local planners, more than 100 dinosaur figures will be painted and designed over the winter for display beginning in June 2003. Cast molds designed by Toronto-based Research Casting International include three different dinosaur models: the infamous tyrannosaurus rex; a torosaurus, a horned-face species with a large crested skull; and a stegosaurus, known for its plated back. The models will measure six to seven feet long and be mounted on 350-pound bases.

According to preliminary plans, corporations may have the opportunity to sponsor a dinosaur for a fee. Following the exhibit, the models will be auctioned off to raise funds for various charities.

"Dinosaurs are really just picture perfect for Pittsburgh," said Suzy Perelman, an artist and business owner who is a co-chair of the project. "It's something that people in the city and throughout the country associate with the city. It's just really the perfect thing for us to do."

>>Click here for full article