May 14 2008
Babe the “Pink” Ox
I spotted a silly spectacle on the corner of an intersection here in Brainerd, MN. A piggy-bank pink ox with a Minnesota state quarter descending into its back stands in front of the Brainerd Savings and Loan Association.
More than 20 oxen in colors and patterns beyond the blue of Paul Bunyan’s companion ox, Babe, have appeared to adorn the lawns and fronts of businesses with public art throughout our area.
The Oxtrot, “An Oxpedition of Art in the Lakes Area,” is a cooperative partnership between our local arts organization, the Crossing Arts Alliance, the Brainerd Lakes Chamber and artist, Josh Porter, of Avalon Studios, who designed the original sculpture based on Babe statues in the Brainerd Lakes area.
This particular ox—the first ox I saw—surprised me with his stare at the stoplight. 
His clever design lightheartedly acknowledges the business it represents while echoing some of the historical and mythical heritage of Minnesota in this sesquicentennial year of statehood. He is known as “Babe’s Bank is Best,” and the finish artist for this statue is Josh Johnson.
My impression is that they look quite a bit like over-sized lawn ornaments with the same kitschy connotations. However, they do create a stir of creativity and fun for area residents and tourists. My children are already counting the ones they’ve seen and creating plans to see them all. Even without knowing about the “Find Babe” campaign or reading Babe’s blog, they said, “it will be a treasure hunt for us to see how many we can find.”
