Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.

Art

June is for Negra

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If you have the CSNW 2019 calendar, you get to look at this beautiful photo of Negra all month long:

You’ll also notice (or may already know) that we celebrate Negra’s honorary birthday on June 13th, the anniversary of the chimpanzees’ arrival to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.

Negra remains the eldest of the group of seven chimpanzees. She dominated our thoughts as we were preparing the sanctuary for the group’s arrival. She had spent the most time in biomedical research and had suffered perhaps more than any of the other chimpanzees, showing the signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder upon her arrival.

We were excited to see all of the chimpanzees fully realize their new sanctuary life, but I for one could not stop thinking about being able to witness Negra experience all of the new comforts, choices, and space at the sanctuary. This video of her in the playroom for the first time captured what will forever be one of my most cherished moments.

The expression on her face today in this photo reminded me of the video:

Which of course led me to think of the most iconic image of Negra that we have: Negra in the Sun

This is the original photo I took in 2008:

Then artist Margaret H. Parkinson created this breathtaking painting based on the photo:

Margaret’s painting then inspired other artists, most recently mosaic artist Lisa Whatne.

Here is a close-up of Lisa’s truly stunning piece:

And guess what!? The Negra in the Sun mosaic is available for bidding in the HOOT! 2019 gala auction on June 15th! Even those who are not able to make it to the event can place an absentee bid on this mosaic as well as most of the other items in the auction! Absentee bidding begins Monday, June 10th at 8:00 a.m. See all items on the auction preview site now (items are still being added).

I can’t wait to find out who the lucky winner of the mosaic is going to be!

Thank you for getting us to our goal!

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Yesterday was a bit of a roller coaster. At one point in the afternoon, we thought we had exceeded our goal in the Biddin’ for the Seven online auction, but then we received notice that someone had mistakenly made a large guaranteed bid on an item. We corrected the mistake and watched several thousand dollars disappear from the fundraising thermometer.

We were down to the last several minutes of the auction and still had some money to raise to reach the goal. But you pulled out all the stops, and we ended up going over our goal with a total of $12,757 in bids and Sustain the Sanctuary donation pledges!

thermometer

Thank you so very much to those who participated in the auction! I’ll be sending off auction items to winning bidders in the next several days, and will be excited to hear how you like your new stuff! If you have any questions about paying your invoice, don’t hesitate to contact me: [email protected]

It’s kind of funny that I was so wrapped up in watching that fundraising thermometer – $12,000 was somewhat of an arbitrary number. It sure did feel great to reach and then exceed that goal, though! It’s not, of course, all we need to end the year strong, so we’ll be doing some end-of-year fundraising and we hope you’ll sign up for our Chimpanzee Pal program or make a general donation.

It truly does take a virtual village to run a chimpanzee sanctuary, and Burrito, Negra, Jody, Jamie, Missy, Foxie, and Annie rely on their virtual family out there in the world to keep them comfortable, well-fed, healthy, and happy. The photos and videos on this blog are a testament to what donations to sanctuaries can provide, and we can’t thank you enough for taking part in giving the chimpanzees the second chance they so deserve.

Right now there is another way that you can help Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest as well as two other animal sanctuaries. Herbivore Clothing Company is spearheading a 10% for sanctuaries week, with lots of businesses participating. Take a look at the list of companies that are participating, and start shopping or make a donation here. Big thanks to Tofurky / Turtle Island Foods and Chicago Vegan Foods for kick-starting the donations!

10percent

 

And if you’re still in the bidding mood, there’s still time to bid on Jamie’s painting (or any of the great paintings) in the HSUS Chimpanzee Art  Auction, with proceeds going to the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance.

small Jamie painting with seeds IMG_2467

Only Hours Left to Bid – Help Us Reach Our Goal!

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If you’re signed up for our e-news list, you received the below in your inbox. Please share and help us reach our goal! And if you’re not signed up to receive our emails, sign up here.

biddin banner

November 11, 2013

10:00 am PT

There’s still time to bid. Help us raise $4,000 in 10 hours!

 

Quick Links:

 

The Biddin’ for the Seven online auction got off to a great start and is going strong, thanks to everyone who has already participated!

We can meet our $12,000 goal if you place a bid or make a Sustain the Sanctuary donation. Your donation provides the Cle Elum Seven with fresh fruits and veggies, medical care and a stimulating environment. 

Though many items were grabbed up with the guaranteed purchase price over the course of the last few days, there are still plenty of items to bid on. Here are just a few:

 

Hand Painted Jody Wine Bottle

Jody wine bottle

Decorative wine bottle featuring a photo transfer of Jody from Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. Hand painted with a combination of latex and acrylic paints and adorned with beads and charms at the neck. Created by volunteer caregiver Stephanie Perciful.

Explore Europe Ritz Carlton package

ritz

Five nights at your choice of participating Ritz-Carlton Resorts in Europe with breakfast each morning (can split the stay between more than one resort), round-trip airfare for two, and complimentary booking. Minimum bid price just reduced!

Two Giraffes in Golden Light

two giraffes photo

18″ x 28″ canvas with a 1.5″ edge. A photograph of two giraffes side by side, looking out towards the setting sun in the golden grass of a savannah in Etosha National Park, Namibia. Photo by Kathy Cochran.

Ecolodge Excursion in Equador

ecolodge equador

Four days and three nights, meals, and guided tours for two at the Kapawi Ecolodge and Reserve where you will be surrounded by wildlife in comfortable lodging by night and have opportunities to explore one of the most pristine and remote environments in the world by day.

Missy in the Bamboo Forest

Missy in the Bamboo Forest

One-of-a-kind handcrafted necklace by Tamela. The chain is a mixture of ceramic and sterling silver beads. The colors were carefully chosen to reflect the natural colors on Young’s Hill at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. 21 inches long with sterling silver clasp The pendant is 99.9% pure silver, 1.75 x 3.25 inches, kiln fired, hand polished, accented with a bamboo pattern, oxidized to give a subtle antique look, then coated lightly with a jeweler’s wax to protect and preserve the finish. Marked as fine silver on the back and given the artist’s own “T” mark.

 

See these and more items on the Biddin’ for the Seven auction website.

 

negra under blanketJoin the virtual village in caring for the Cle Elum Seven chimpanzees by giving your Sustain the Sanctuary donation in any amount.

We have $1,650 to go to reach our goal of $4,000 for Sustain the Sanctuary donations on the Biddin’ site. Help us get to our goal by making a donation and sharing the donation page with your virtual friends on Facebook and other social networking sites. We will send you a special thank you in return for your donation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jamie’s Brain

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You know that whole thing about right brain vs. left brain and people identifying themselves as one or the other? Well, Jamie seems to be ambidextrous-brained. You know she’s an artist because you’ve been voting for her piece in the chimp art contest every day this week, right?

Her left brain side is pretty strong, though. As J.B.’s video demonstrated yesterday, Jamie is a skilled tool user. And she loves to solve puzzles. Just watch her solve a puzzle that the human’s created for her recently:

Jamie’s sunflower seed painting

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So, by now you hopefully know that Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest’s chimpanzee boss-lady Jamie is entered in this very unique chimpanzee-only art contest sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States.

You can and should vote for her piece every day until the contest ends on August 22nd at 5:00 ET. The sanctuary that cares for the winning chimpanzee will receive a $10,000 grant from HSUS!

If you aren’t on our e-news list (which you can remedy by signing up here), or if you missed the email sent out yesterday, below is the video we shared of Jamie during the session where she created her mixed media masterpiece that is in the contest.

There are many things that I like about this video and Jamie’s approach. In particular, I like the way she carefully applies the paint to the sunflower seed shell with her finger and the way she wipes off her hands when she’s done. These are classic Jamie things to do.

I hope you appreciate the effort she put into her art and give her your vote! The voting website even allows you to be reminded to vote each day by texting CHIMPART TO 30644 (message and data rates may apply).

In other good news, MSN shared this video on their page today!

Fire and Art

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One year ago today, the sanctuary property was engulfed in flames and smoke. We thought at one point that the caregiver house that J.B. and I live in was gone (it turned out the roof and siding had caught fire, but the interior was saved). J.B. stayed with the chimps as the flames spread, and the rest of the staff watched helplessly from the road or waited anxiously for updates.

fire on hil above chimp house from highway

black earth under tire structure young's hill

It’s not a day any of us would like to repeat, but we knew the chimpanzees were safe thanks to our own protocols and the actions of the local volunteer firefighters. We can never thank Kittitas County Fire Districts (KCFD) #1 and #7  enough for what they did for us and what they do for neighbors and strangers everyday. Read the account from the Seattle Met, or, in our own words, through our blog posts.

We’ve made even more improvements to our protocols and our equipment based on our experience last year. We are still working on our future emergency preparedness while also raising money for our general operating costs, and we have a great and fun way for you to help us get a nice grant!

The Humane Society of the United States is sponsoring a chimpanzee art contest, and our resident boot-loving artist boss of the sanctuary, Jamie, has a piece entered! Voting for Jamie’s mixed-media piece will not only give her the accolades she knows she deserves, but will also give the sanctuary a chance to win $10,000! You can vote for Jamie’s piece once per day from now until the end of the contest, which is 5:00pm ET on August 22nd.

Jamie_seed_art2

Please vote today and every day and share with everyone you know via email, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc!

Negra Love

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A few minutes ago I watched Negra getting a drink of water. She was sitting on the step between rooms three and four and she had her right leg stretched out, with her toes pointed and just touching the floor. The thought went through my mind that I simply love everything she does. The fact that her toes were pointed was a good enough reason to love her in that moment. And then I wondered how many people were thinking about Negra at that very instant. Six years ago, before coming to the sanctuary, the answer probably would have been none. Today, though, Negra has a whole community of people who love her; and that makes me filled with happiness.

Love of Negra is evident in several of the Out of the Box auction items created by supporters this year. Below are three that I have to share, and they are all due to the artistic talents of Margaret H. Parkinson.

 

queen negra

Queen Negra is a 20″ x 16″ oil on stretched canvas. It was inspired by  a photo of Negra with a royal purple blanket covering her head. The artist, Margaret, is a long-time supporter of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest – she and her wife Karen were at the sanctuary for our open house before the chimpanzees arrived. She created this painting especially for the Out of the Box auction, and it will be available in our online auction – anyone can bid on it starting May 4th!

 

here comes the sun darling negra

Here Comes the Sun Darling Negra by Tamela is an amazing necklace. Margaret gave Tamela permission to use an image of Margaret’s Negra in the Sun painting that she painted for our very first auction in 2009. Tamela handcrafted the pendant. The center of the image  is made with a glow in the dark clay and becomes a glowing moon in the dark. The piece that holds the image was also handcrafted by Tamela and is 99.9% pure silver. The necklace strand is made of citrine teardrop beads.

Tamela wrote this about her inspiration to create the necklace:
Margaret’s painting was so beautiful I knew it needed to be wearable art so more people could enjoy it. The high quality translucent citrine teardrop beads were carefully selected because of their meaning and the way they reflect light. Citrines give the owner a feeling of warmth and comfort much like Negra might have in her big fluffy blanket nest. Citrine also raises one’s mood and encourages happiness and laughter. I wanted the necklace to represent the life the chimps now have at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, a life filled with hope, love, warmth, comfort, and happiness, combined with that wonderful feeling of the sun on your face found in the original photo and Margaret’s painting- Negra in the Sun.

I nearly cried when I read that from Tamela.

This next item is a bit of a surprise for Margaret. A few months ago I asked her permission to use one of her watercolor paintings for special magnum bottles of wine that we will have at Out of the Box.

Here is a sneak peak at one of the bottles, which were etched and hand painted, thanks to the help of chimp friend Lynne Anderson:

magnum bottle negra

Inside the bottles is Ellensburg Vista Winery‘s latest release. I like reading tasting notes of wine – lots of “oaky finishes” and “fruit forward” type of language. I’ve tasted this new Rosé and would just like to simplify things and say that it is delicious. Here’s the proper description from the vigneron, Gary Cox: This Rosé is a 2008 Cox Canyon Vineyards Cabernet Franc with just a touch of Viognier to give the wine a Cote Rotié French Flair/Finish. Raspberry is prominent in the nose of this wine, as raspberries are planted in the rows of the wine grapes to allow cross pollination and a direct effect of pollen on the seed of the wine grape, which carries thru to the must as it ferments to wine. Seattle Dining Magazine named it one of the ten best wines at Taste Washington earlier this year.

There will only be twelve bottles available at the May 4th Seattle Out of the Box event! We’ll have a special table for the magnums during the silent auction. Don’t miss out! Get your tickets to the Seattle event now. It’s just three weeks away!