More than a dozen fiberglass ducks standing at 44 inches tall with lazy eyes and an easy going smile have added color and character to Norman parks for the past seven years.
The duck sculptures, named and modeled after the original Samo Ducky sculpture by Douglas Shaw Elder, came about in a joint effort between the Norman Arts Council and Norman Public Arts Board to promote local artists and park beautification, according to the Samo Ducky Project website.
New duck designs are submitted by members of the community at the request of the Norman Public Arts Board at the start of each year. The board selects three submissions for new duck additions.
Interested artists have until Feb. 6 to submit their duck designs. Artists whose designs have been selected will be notified no later than Feb. 20 and will receive a honorarium of $500 upon completion and delivery. It is up to the artists to supply their own materials; however, the fiberglass form will be available for free, according to the Norman Arts Council.
One of last year's selected designs was a duck entitled "El Pato Pinata," created by Ander Cardinale and located in Cherry Creek Park. Cardinale, who recently moved to Norman from Mexico, is a toy artist who loved the duck sculptures because they reminded him of giant rubber ducks, said Cardinale. After noticing the sculptures around Norman, Cardinale said he knew he must make one, too.
“This was the first thing I did when I got to Norman and ... it was like my introduction to Norman, so I like my duck because it was like my good luck charm,” Cardinale said.
Cardinale said he wanted to share his love for Mexican culture with the people of Norman, so he took something he loved as a child and applied it to his duck design: pinatas. He said he felt it was important to use such a design because he wanted to make people happy with its bright colors and expose kids to different cultures.
“It’s really silly, but it had a lot of meaning for me,” Cardinale said. "I don’t mean to brag, but my duck is just a happy duck."
Some ducks also hold more meaning, such as the "Ziggy Starduck" sculpture created by Craig Swan and located in Lions Memorial Park. Swan said he simply loved David Bowie and decided to create the Bowie-inspired design, but in light of the rock star's recent death, Swan likes to imagine his duck as being a homage to his inspiration.
“I think he’s a very important figure,” Swan said. “I think it’s cool that he has a duck-shaped avatar, a duck-shaped idol of him around town.”
Swan was pleasantly surprised to find out his "Ziggy Starduck" submission was accepted but didn’t want to let anyone down. Despite struggling to project his two-dimensional design onto a three-dimensional sculpture of a larger scale, he said he figured out how to make the supplies work best for him.
“I just didn’t want it to look stupid. If the Public Arts Board was taking a risk on something more out of left field, I just wanted it to look like I knew what I was doing," Swan said.
Since submitting a design for a duck sculpture was easy, Swan is definitely interested in designing a future duck, he said.
The submission process is open to everyone of all backgrounds and specialties. For example, Darci Lenker, creator of "Duck with Blue Shadow" in Summit Lakes Park, typically dabbles in fabric art but said she couldn't pass up the opportunity to try her hand at designing a duck.
“I love the ducks. I think they’re so fun, they get kids interested in art,” Lenker said.
Although getting a handle on the specific outdoor paints and primers was difficult, she said she learned the importance of patience throughout the process.
“As long as you’re patient and willing to take your time with it then I think anyone can do it," she said.
Artists interested in submitting a duck design can fill out an application here.
"Glow in the Duck" was placed in Tull Park off West Vida Way. This duck is the ninth one placed in a park and was painted by Chase Spivey.
"Lego Duck" was placed in the park located on Cypress Avenue. This duck is the one of the most recent in the Samo Duck Project.
"Liberty Bill Duck" is one of the three ducks that can be found in Reaves Park. The sculpture was painted by Evan Davenport.
This duck was left unnamed but is the last of the three ducks located in Reaves Park. It was painted by Jae Won Jung and is one of two "Untitled" ducks in the series.
"Swimmin' Sammy Steel" is located near the back of Rotary Park. It was painted by artist Adam Stewart.
TJ Duck is in Reaves Park along with two other ducks. Aimee Rook painted the sculpture.
This duck can be found in the middle of Andrews Park. "Dig Duck" was painted by Chris McDaniel.
"Ahoy, Ducky" is located on the edge of Normandy Park on Westside Drive. This duck was painted by Don Schooler.
The original "Samo Ducky" is located next to the Norman City of Firehouse Art Center in Lions Park. The Norman Arts Council and Norman Public Arts Board started this project in 2010.
"Ducky Miro" can be found on the corner of Francis Cate Park. This duck was painted by Marilina Resaco Pratt.
"Ziggy Starduck" was painted by Craig Swan and is located in Lions Memorial Park. Though the duck was completed before David Bowie's death, Swan said he considers it a tribute.
