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Last Wednesday, InLiquid and artist Claire Rosen teamed up with the Philly Goat Project to celebrate an unlikely pairing — art and goats.
While InLiquid’s exhibitions typically carry a range of forward-thinking, contemporary art from creatives across the city — this event went one step further highlighting creativity across species. The special one night show called “A Gathering of Goats” featured goats as the subjects of striking portraits, active participants in interactive installations and even creators of their own original artworks.
“As an arts organization, it’s about pushing the limits, right?” said Rachel Zimmerman, founder and executive director of InLiquid. “And how do you engage people in a meaningful way?… We have the space, so why not challenge people’s expectations?”
Walking into the Icebox Project Space last week felt a bit like stepping into Wonderland. Cultured Philadelphians dressed in chic gallery-core mingled with goats. Tickets to this show were not cheap, with general admission starting at $180 and VIP deals at $625 per person.
In addition to cocktails and hors d’oeuvres for humans, the goats had a specialty table filled with crudités just for them. Another table was decorated with a large goat-shaped vegetable sculpture.
“It feels like a modern day Baroque bacchanal, and really, our goats are loving it,” said Karen Krivit, “goat mom” and director of the Philly Goat Project. “We have 18 volunteers who are well trained and committed to our mission, who are helping make this possible… What brings Philly together is community, and animals, and art, and nature.”
The Philly Goat Project goats took pictures with guests on a vintage velvet couch and walked through paint and on canvases to create abstract paintings.
“They are very influenced, I think, by Jackson Pollock and the abstract art movement,” said artist Claire Rosen.
The gallery’s walls were filled with images from Rosen, who worked with the Philly Goat Project to photograph the herd. Her artwork highlights the animals as individuals — creating intimate portraits that call back to classical European paintings. Throughout the night we met different goats like Ivy, a small white pygmy with light brown spots, and Ray, a three-legged hero with chestnut hair.
A large wall in the room was filled with a projected photograph from Rosen. The image features the goats at an outdoor Last Supper-style banquet — a signature of Rosen’s interspecies work and part of her “Fantastical Feasts” series.
“I spent two days with the Philadelphia Goat Project at the Awbury Arboretum, working with their 13 goats there,” Rosen said. “So we did a feast table, and then everybody got their portrait made in front of a painted backdrop and wallpaper backdrops.”
Rosen said she collaborates with the animals and their handlers throughout the shoot making sure that the goats feel comfortable and encouraged whether that’s through food or head scratches.
“Goats certainly bring humor to the shoot, and I just feel like it’s very hard to be in a bad mood in front of goats,” she said. “They’re all obviously a little bit different, and some are more food driven, some are more inquisitive and curious, some are more shy.”
Leslie Jackson, “folx herder” and director of operations with the Philly Goat Project, said she was very impressed with Rosen’s artwork. She and Krivit milled about around the gallery, checking in on the goats.
“Oh my god!” they exclaimed in unison when asked how they felt that the portraits turned out.
“They’re just gorgeous,” Jackson said.
“They make you feel beautiful,” Krivit responded.
“They really do,” Jackson said. “The chaos of the day, when we were taking those pictures, it’s so interesting that she’s able to capture a moment of stillness.”
“They were so poorly behaved,” Krivit said, “Which is why we love them!”
Certainly, throughout the night the goats brought a sense of humor and unpredictability to the show. An art opening is already a bit of a playful anthropological ritual — humans coming together to appreciate creativity, oohing and aahing, judging ideas and compositions.
The goats, for better or worse, disrupted that ritual, changing the tone of a typical gallery atmosphere. Guests chatting about Rosen’s work would get distracted by a little pygmy passing behind them. Goats rubbed their heads against unexpecting patrons hoping for some lettuce at the crudités table. We witnessed multiple bathroom accidents in the middle of the show.
Rosen has a lavender farm which is currently in bloom. She hopes the show will serve as a reminder to Philadelphians to interact with the nature and animals around them.
“It’s really important for people to have meaningful experiences and interactions with animals to understand why they’re so important to protect,” she said. “If you don’t care or love something, why would you advocate for it? Why would you change your behavior if it’s inconvenient to you?”
“These ambassador animals serve a really important role in reaching people in a place that really makes them want to do more for the natural world,” she added. “Working towards experiences and events that are not exploitative or harmful for animals is really important, because I think we can work in partnership together to expand people’s understanding of the natural world and how we can do more and do better for them.”
Proceeds from the show went to help fund InLiquid and the Philly Goat Project. Rosen’s photographs are going to be on greeting cards and postcards that you can get through the Philly Goat Project website. What’s more, Rosen’s pieces, as well as artwork from the goats, are available for purchase.
