Project Factoids

  • Mastodons roamed northeastern Indiana 10,000 to 13,000 years ago.

  • IPFW geology students helped excavate a mastodon skeleton near Angola, Indiana, in 1968.

  • A 3-ton bronze mastodon on IPFW campus was dedicated September 14, 2004.

  • Mastodons on Parade commemorates the 40th anniversary of Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.

  • Two distinguishing features about Mastodons on Parade compared to other public street art projects:
    1. Interactive sound — the mastodons talk, sing, and roar.
    2. A K-12 educational curriculum was developed to connect students to in-depth learning about mastodons.

  • 102 mastodons

  • 104 sponsors

  • 142 artists

  • 14 schools

  • 23 mastodons with sound chips

  • Technology created by J & S Resource Management

  • 100’s of volunteers

  • Mastodons weigh 165#

  • Mastodons are 6’ long and 4 ½’ tall

  • Mastodon waist size 88”

  • Mastodon concrete base weighs 800#

  • One artist agency decorated 7 mastodons — The T.A.G. Art Company

  • One artist agency decorated 4 mastodons — Boyden & Youngblutt

  • Two IPFW students decorated 3 mastodons — Jennifer Clements and Erin Palmer

  • Ten artists decorated 2 different mastodons — Jim Studinski, Valerie McBride, Tally Hammond, Nadia Kowal Korn, Larry Davis, Donna Emley, Angie Owen, Susan Perl, Mike Schmid, Vicki Junk-Wright

  • 400 deliveries since September by North American Moving and Storage transporting mastodons from factory to artist; artist to Auto Collision for clear coating; Auto Collision to A Party Apart for final preparation; A Party Apart to Headwaters Park for the Community Party on May 1st.

  • 50 deliveries by IPFW Physical Plant.

  • 5’ tall mastodon replica cake at the Community Preview Party created by Betty Olry.