1. TIGER PELT PROJECT
A knitted textile project by artist Ruth Marshall
Project Description
The Tiger Pelt Project is an art project designed to raise awareness and money for tiger
conservation organizations. Tigers are one of the most enigmatic animals in the world and one
of the most endangered.
Conservation scientists who study wild tigers use the data collected to develop conservation
strategies to help save tigers, their environments and the people who live with them. Ruth
Marshall will request permission to use some of this data such as photographs and
measurements to create unique knitted pelts that are actually based on individual tigers that are
currently or have been studied by scientists in the wild.
For example, ‘Olga’, a female tiger who lived in the Russian Far East was studied for thirteen
years by scientists of the Siberian Tiger Project. By tracking her movements through her radio
collar she gave valuable information about a tigers geographical range, litter sizes, diet and
behavior. She was the first wild Siberian tiger to ever be radio collared and is believed to have
been the oldest and most extensively studied tiger in the world. She went missing, presumably
killed by poachers in 2005.
By connecting the audience to individual tigers, their stories and plights are made known, the
extraordinary efforts of conservation scientists are highlighted, and the knitted pelts stand as
portraits and testimonies to the beauty of these amazing animals.
JAGUARS
left: “Golden Jaguar”
81” x 51”, yarn,
bamboo, string. 2007
right: “Black Jaguar”
81” x 51”, yarn,
bamboo, string, glass
eyes. 2007
2. GOALS OF TIGER PELT PROJECT
- to attract new audiences for tiger conservation in a fine art environment.
- to educate audiences about tiger conservation.
- to raise money for tiger conservation by contributing a percentage of sales from knitted tiger pelts
and through donations.
- to create a dozen knitted pelts over a two year period.
- to organize a traveling exhibition to museums throughout the United States.
- to find endorsements from tiger conservation organizations.
- to gain sponsorship or funding for creation of knitted pelts, traveling exhibition, catalogs, studio
space, studio assistants.
PROGRESS OF TIGER PELT PROJECT
- negotiations with the Wildlife Conservation Society to endorse the project is underway.
- the director and field coordinator from the Siberian Tiger Project have offered conservation data to be
used for creating knitted tiger pelts.
- Lionbrand yarn company has offered to donate yarn to be used for creating knitted tiger pelts.
LEOPARDS
left: “Ivy”
87.5” x 66”, yarn,
bamboo, string, glass
eyes. 2006.
right: “Amur Leopard”
92” x 53”, yarn,
bamboo, string. 2007
