For the past 17 years, Catskill has been home to a unique and colorful public art project called Cat’n Around Catskill. This annual event features fiberglass cat statues, each decorated with a one-of-a-kind design. Cat’n Around Catskill serves as a fundraiser for the Heart of Catskill Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to organizing public programming in the town and village.
This year’s Cat’n Around Catskill is the largest one yet, with 65 statues, compared to last year’s 53. The artists responsible for decorating the statues are selected by Christie Hicks, the cat coordinator for Cat’n Around Catskill. She evaluates applications and shares the proposed designs with local businesses that can sponsor a cat for $500. The artists receive $50 stipends to cover the costs of materials and complete their cat creations. These finished pieces are then displayed in public from Memorial Day to Labor Day before being auctioned off.
The auction, which will take place on September 17 at Historic Catskill Point, is a highly anticipated event. Artists receive 30 percent of the proceeds, while the rest goes toward funding various local projects and nonprofit organizations, such as animal rescue groups and those providing holiday presents to children. This year, the auction will also benefit Cultivate Catskill, an organization focused on building a spray park.
Hicks emphasizes the positive impact of Cat’n Around Catskill on the town, stating, “It’s great for the town to have those kinds of attractions.” She guides the artists in selecting appropriate props and materials, ensuring the best adhesive options, and providing valuable advice on bringing the cats to life.
The cats undergo a clear coating process at an autobody shop in Cairo before being placed on the streets of Catskill. After Labor Day, they receive a thorough cleaning and any necessary repairs, such as dent fixes. Although vandalism is rare, precautions are taken to maintain the quality of the statues.
The auction itself is a lively and enjoyable event, featuring wine, beer, and spirited bidding. Tickets are priced at $25, and prices for the cats can soar. In fact, a cat with an intricate design called “Starry Night” sold for over $7,000 a couple of years ago. While most statues start at $500, the average prices range around $1,200. Last year’s auction raised $85,000, and Hicks aims to surpass $100,000 this year.
To explore the collection of cat statues for 2023, there is a convenient map available online. Most of the statues are placed in front of the sponsoring businesses on Main Street, but some are found in other locations. For example, McDonald’s sponsors a cat on Route 9W, and another can be found at Wine Cellar on W. Bridge Street.
While artists have the freedom to pursue any design they desire, many of the cat statues reflect their sponsoring businesses. For instance, Village Pizza always gets a pizza-themed cat. Sometimes, the designs unintentionally match perfectly with a sponsor, leading to delightful combinations, such as Spike’s Record Rack receiving an Elvis Presley-inspired cat with blue suede shoes.
Hicks, who is both a cat coordinator and an artist, personally created two cat statues this year. One is themed for J&J Smokehouse BBQ, taking the form of a cat-chicken-barbecue-smoker hybrid titled “Brawk-B-Q Chicken.” The other cat statue is dedicated to an Italian restaurant and features a tabletop with a plate of spaghetti adorned with a chef hat, aptly named “On Top of Spaghkitty.”
Although Hicks appreciates the cat statues, she doesn’t own one herself due to their costliness. However, she is currently “babysitting” a Tiger Woods-themed statue for a friend in Florida. The fate of the cat statues post-auction varies. Some locals proudly display them in their gardens or rental properties, while others find new homes in different states such as Tennessee and Colorado. The Cat’n Around Catskill project has gained a substantial following on Facebook, with 6,600 people keeping up with the latest updates.
While the name “Catskill” might lead one to believe that this type of auction is unique to the town, Hicks dispels this notion. She reveals that many other towns engage in similar public art projects, such as Saratoga with its horses, Coxsackie with owls, Cairo with bears, Greenville with ducks, and Saugerties with a rotation of themes like butterflies and horses.
In conclusion, Cat’n Around Catskill is a remarkable community art project that brings vibrancy and creativity to the streets of Catskill while supporting local organizations. With its growing popularity and the enthusiasm of artists and sponsors, this event continues to leave a lasting impact on the town and its residents.
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