"The cows will be painted on sketches by Russia's foremost artists and on the most interesting sketches amateurs have sent in to festival selection commissions," she said to Novosti. Weather-resistant colors to be used for the plastic statues will not fade in the sun or run in the rain.
The best animals will be auctioned off after the festival. "The returns will go to children's relief. A limited-abilities children's center at Moscow's Pushkin Fine Arts Museum will get a part, a St. Petersburg hospice another, and more sums will go to other charitable institutions," says Ms. Skorobogatova.
The festival website offers an application form everyone who likes can fill in and send to the organizing committee, complete with a cow sketch. If the art council approves the contesting sketch, the author will receive a 300 US dollar prize and a white fiberglass cow to paint. Creative people who cannot paint will have experienced artists' help.
There are only several taboos for cow-painting ideas-politics, porn, ethnic and religious intolerance, propaganda of drugs, strong drinks and tobacco, and unmasked advertising are all banned.
Johannesburg, Barcelona, Florence, Bratislava, Monte Carlo, Bucharest and Sao Paulo are the other sites of this year's Cow Parade.
Zurich hosted a maiden festival, seven years ago. 24 cities in every part of the world have been involved in the project since its inception.
Festival organizers hope it will come to Muscovites as an unforgettable event.
