Why are there colorful cow statues in SLO County? The story behind moo-ving art
Stomp around San Luis Obispo County long enough and you’ll notice a plethora of public art pieces that all take the shape of a popular pasture-raised animal.
A bulky white bull covered in images of aircraft greets travelers at the entrance of San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport.
A curious brown cow perched on a wooden post peers into a pair of binoculars at the top of Islay Hill in San Luis Obispo.
Outside San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre in downtown San Luis Obispo, a beautiful bovine bearing a striking resemblance to Marilyn Monroe poses next to the sidewalk.
The happy heifer statues scattered throughout the county have inspired walking tours and been featured in dozens of social media posts over the years.
The colorful cows have also sparked several inquiries from people wondering how they came into existence, San Luis Obispo public art coordinator Amanda Grieshop told The Tribune, calling the cattle “a testament to the power of public art bringing community together.”
The cows are the quirky remnants of a charity event — known as CowParade SLO — that occurred nearly a decade ago, according to previous Tribune reporting.
What’s the history of CowParade SLO art event?
The practice of parading cows around towns dates back hundreds of years ago, according to Switzerland Tourism.
During the summer, farmers in the Swiss mountains would let livestock graze in alpine pastures amid green grass and sunshine.
When the warm weather ended and it was time for herds to trot down to lower elevations, it became a tradition to have a “cattle homecoming,” Switzerland Tourism said on its website. Celebrated cows were artfully draped in flowers and twigs and paraded through towns.
This time-honored custom was the inspiration behind the inaugural CowParade in Chicago in 1999, according to CowParade SLO event organizer Alan Vander Horst.
At that event, visionaries transformed about 300 fiberglass cow statues into funky art pieces that were placed in public places throughout the Windy City.
Since then CowParade events have been held at more than 100 cities, including Tokyo, Istanbul, Rome and New York City. Organizers claim it’s the “world’s largest public art event,” its website said.
More than 15,000 artists have altered cow statues into a total of 7,000 works of art, raising more than $40 million in the process, according to CowParade’s website.
As of April 2025, more than 250 million people from around the globe have glimpsed one of the life-size Holsteins.
How did colorful cows end up hoofing around town?
Nine years ago, the Central Coast welcomed its own herd of heifers as part of CowParade SLO.
From September 2016 to May 2017, more than 100 life-size fiberglass cow statues were showcased at parks, plazas and businesses across the county to raise money for local nonprofit organizations.
Vander Horst, a Cal Poly graduate, third-generation dairy farmer and part-owner of the town of Harmony, was the main advocate behind the countywide art installation.
He and his wife Rebecca Vander Horst, witnessed the first CowParade event 26 years ago in Chicago. As lifelong cattle lovers, the couple was thrilled to explore the city, bouncing from bovine to bovine and snapping pictures.
Back home, Alan Vander Horst became devoted to bringing the event to the Central Coast.
“It was our desire to see that replicated in SLO County,” he told The Tribune. “I wanted to see people enjoy this, and bring value through agriculture, cattle and the arts. It’s something everyone can participate in.”
Vander Horst and fellow organizer Tom Halen hoofed it to tourism boards and major businesses around the county to find a title sponsor for the event.
While they garnered widespread community support, no one was willing to take on the project, Vander Horst said.
That’s when Vander Horst realized the town of Harmony had the means, experience and staff to bring the moo-ving art event to life.
“We looked in the mirror and said, ‘I guess we’re going to do it then. We’ll put it on,’ ” he recalled.
When were heifer sculptures installed in SLO County?
When CowParade arrived in SLO County in 2016, it was the second event of its kind to make it to the Golden State, following an installation in La Jolla in 2008, The Tribune previously reported.
The countywide public art exhibit featured total of 101 fiberglass cows — in homage to Highway 101 — with 80 life-sized heifers and 21 smaller statues nicknamed Mini Moos.
The grazing, standing or reclining cow sculptures were manufactured in south San Francisco and then sponsored by various SLO County businesses and organizations.
The event launched with a public cattle call at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo in September 2016 and concluded with live and silent auctions at Santa Margarita Ranch in May 2017 that raised more than $250,000 for local charities, according to CowParade SLO.
Who are SLO County artists behind beautiful bovines?
More than 70 local and international artists volunteered their time and expertise to decorate the bovines prior to the public art installation.
Los Angeles graffiti artist Man One, Hollywood special effects artist Douglas Turner and cartoonist Leigh Rubin of Nipomo all contributed their own unique cow canvases to the event, the Tribune reported in 2016.
Rubin teamed up with creative partner Ryan Johnson to produce a thrill-seeking, superhero-like “Adventure Cow” modeled after some of the cattle that star in his single-panel comic “Rubes.”
The duo, which chronicled the weeks-long endeavor in a television pilot, created an adrenaline junkie Holstein with bulging, cartoonish eyes, a pink snout and big blotches of black spots. It sported a bright yellow cape inked with its many exciting expeditions around the county.
“I’ve never done anything like that before,” Rubin recently told The Tribune. “It was just such a blast to do it, although there’s still pink stains on my patio.”
Once the sculpture was complete, Rubin took the cow on spectacular excursions around the Central Coast, including riding waves, ziplining over trees, stomping grapes in wine country, kayaking and a polar bear dip.
“I didn’t actually get paid for this,” the cartoonist said. “It was just a lot of fun to do because, you know, I’m an idiot. I like to do fun things.”
Some cattle created for CowParade SLO were just as zany, featuring glass marbles, tiles, collage and lots of paint.
San Luis Obispo artists Neal Breton and Missy Reitner-Cameron created “Dia de los Moouertos Cow,” a skeletal steer decorated with flowers in a nod to the Mexican Day of the Dead. The cow was stationed at Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa while the art exhibit was underway.
Reitner-Cameron, who owns the Bunker SLO art gallery, was also the designer behind “Plane Old Cow,” an aviation-themed heifer that found a permanent home at the SLO airport.
“To be able to have these public pieces that you can touch and feel, and kids would sit on them…it just felt very nice for the community,” she said. “It just felt like a lot of people got involved and more excited.”
Where can I find cattle on public display in SLO County?
After the CowParade SLO auction in May 2017, many of the sculptures were sold to citizens who added the beefy beauties to their personal art collections.
Rubin said he hasn’t spotted “Adventure Cow” in years, but confirmed that she is resting in retirement at a private property on the Central Coast.
Other cow sculptures are prominently displayed around SLO County.
The Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo is home to two cows, “Lady Moodonna” and “Baby Moodonna,” both created by artist Kelly Asuncion, Madonna Inn marketing director Amanda Rich told The Tribune.
“Lady Moodonna” lives in the pasture adjacent to the hotel’s reservation office, while the smaller “Baby Moodonna” is located in its gift shop. Both bovines are covered in a hot pink floral print that recalls the Madonna Inn’s carpet.
Rich said the pasture-dwelling cow is a popular destination for guests to take photos for their social media pages.
“People are just drawn to it ... because it’s so colorful and bright,” she said. “It’s kind of cool too, just because we do have cows on property, and we have horses, and so it’s kind of a fun thing for people to see.”
According to Grieshop, the city of San Luis Obispo only owns one cow sculpture — “Marylin Moonroe,” who’s displayed outside of SLO Reperatory Theatre — but there are still several privately opened statues within city limits that are on public display.
Those include “Moo with a View” on Islay Hill and “Plane Old Cow” at the airport.
Other heifers can be spotted at local businesses and wineries, Grieshop said.
Reitner-Cameron said “Plane Old Cow” has gotten so much love that she’ll be retouching the artpiece in the months ahead — a task that she’s more than happy to do.
“Being able to have public art,” she said. “It stimulates your brain. It lets you see different mediums, different takes on the world.”
Vander Horst counts himself among the airport cow’s many admirers, explaining that it’s a nice reminder of home when he returns from a trip.
“It’s neat to see you have a lasting impression on the county,” Vander Horst said. “It’s a legacy.”
This story was originally published April 13, 2025 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Why are there colorful cow statues in SLO County? The story behind moo-ving art."
