Praying Mantis comes home to Ripley’s Believe it or Not San Francisco
Praying Mantis comes home to Ripley’s Believe it or Not San Francisco
A while back I had the good fortune to sell my giant Praying Mantis sculpture to the Ripley’s Believe it or Not museum franchise. I crated and shipped the sculpture off to their headquarters in Florida and made peace with perhaps never seeing it again. Well, last night was the grand re-opening of the Ripley’s museum in San Francisco and wouldn’t you know it, my Mantis is back!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
If you thought that my work is a peculiar choice for Ripley’s, note that they are actively collecting sculpture from my colleagues as well. They have several of Jeremy Mayer’s (below) pieces sprinkled throughout their museums world wide.
A kinetic piece by sculptor Chris Cole was on display as well.
Perhaps even more interesting is how prominently the piece figures into their marketing. Our little bugger is all over their flyers, and even the VIP passes for the grand opening event.
Former Mayor Willie Brown during the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Some authentic space fairing gear, and a less authentic space fairing vessel. Though no less impressive, this shuttle is made from millions of matchsticks.
Nancy and I doing our part to participate in the exhibits: