Wild "Animals Scramble" from RIT to Streets of Rochester, March 3

Two RIT illustration alumni turn animal kingdom loose to raise money for charity

Three eagles, one penguin, one polar bear, one kangaroo, one ape, one fish and a bigger-than-life elephant, are painted, decorated and dressed to the nines—thanks to the artistry of Kevin Serwacki and Chris Pallace.

The two Rochester Institute of Technology illustration alumni have teamed up to design and decorate the menagerie for Rochester’s large-scale community arts project, Animal Scramble—the new version of Horses on Parade. The animals will be moved from RIT on March 3, stampede into Rochester where they will be on display until October and then auctioned off.

"The campaign is sponsored by ESL Federal Credit Union and proceeds will benefit local charities," says Serwacki. "Chris and I went to corporations and they sponsored us to decorate and design specific animals. We came up with some unusual designs that required a lot of fiberglass alterations. It was a very time-consuming process and since January, we’ve been working 12 hours a day, seven days a week."

The designs are virtually out-landish: a fish wears orthodontic braces and is called M. Braceable; a green ape raises a torch as the Statue of Liberty; a polar bear bartends in an elegant tuxedo; a penguin transforms into Godzilla—complete with tail, dorsal plates and fins.

"Our normal is always different," says Pallace. "No animal is alike and we work with their features until we solve the problem—like attaching balloons to a soaring eagle or putting frilly neckwear on a kangaroo. We go from working with two-dimensional designs on paper to three-dimensional realities."