But they expect the bovine statuary to make money in New York City, too. Further, I am told that in Houston, where pigs and cows are not cultural icons and merely fulfill their original purpose, money is being raised for a good cause by encouraging people to paint up their automobiles for artistic display. I am thinking all these people are onto something. Pigs would probably not be the object of choice here, however. I'm unaware of any historical footnote having to do with Wichita Falls in which pigs play a part.
Cows are certainly emblematic of North Texas.
But if you're going to steal an idea, you have a certain creative obligation to improve upon it. Well, maybe, but they don't seem benign enough to be put into the service of art. The coyote figures into our heritage in an offhand way, although you could expect flak from the fans at Hirschi and Rider. I just bring it up because if they can turn a sow's ear into a silk purse in Cincinnati, surely we can come up with a way to do the same thing in Wichita Falls. Carroll Wilson's column appears in this space on Sundays.