ZOOGUU

I recently got to see an artist I met a few years ago. Her name is Jen Gubicza. She is the owner and artist behind Zooguu! She attends the Three Rivers Art Festival here in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania each year where I first met her. I was really excited to see that she was back this year! The first year I met her I was inspired by her work. Not only are her Zooguu's as she calls them, AMAZING, but they're inspired by animals Jen Gibicza cherishes. I was especially happy to find out that she makes RHINOS!!! Jen spent a little bit of time talking with me about her work recently, and I wanted to share it here because Jen's work is not only really cool, but she also uses her work to help animals and conservation work! She is the person who told me about Bowling for Rhinos! She donates her work every year to help raise funds for rhino conservation. So that makes Jen awesome in my book!

I asked Jen to provide some information about her work so that I could share it with you. Here are the answers to the interview questions I asked her:

Q: What does Zooguu mean to you? 

A: Our last name is Gubicza, so the "guu" is inspired by that. 

Q: What inspired you to call your creations Zooguu's?

A: I like to think of Zooguu as our own unique zoo!

Q: What inspired you to make your zooguu animals?

A: I was a graphic designer for 10 years, and I designed mainly for the audience of kids and families. I've always loved things that are fun & colorful & humorous. I started sewing my own creatures as a way to do a hands-on activity and to make art that didn't involve staring at a computer screen. In 2008 I left my graphic design job to pursue Zooguu full time and it has grown a little bit every year since then!

Q: What is your favorite zooguu?

A: That's always such a hard question to answer! I only make things that I like, so I do love all of them. The one of a kind dragons are pretty special because they are unique, but my favorite to make might just be the unicorn. They're one of the most popular designs and I've made so, so many, but I still like making them so I must love them a lot!  

Q: Which zooguu's were the hardest and easiest to make?

A: The hardest would have to be the dragons or triceratops, and the easiest would probably be the narwhals or elephants.

Q: What was your first zooguu?
A: In the early 2000s, I handmade a little, fat bird stuffed toy for my husband's birthday. It was inspired by a little cartoon he used to draw. He is very creatively named Yellow Bird.

Q: What materials do you make a zooguu with?
A: I make them with suede cloth, faux fur, upholstery fabric remnants, thread, stuffing, wood and love!

Q: What inspires you to raise awareness and money for animals like rhinos?
A: Wild animals are amazing creatures & I think protecting them is our responsibility as humans on this planet. I've been lucky to meet so many zookeepers who have become customers & friends who are doing great work with these animals and who are also working on conservation. I am fortunate to be able to do a small part to help them do their important work.

Q: What is your favorite animal? 
A: I love lions, sharks & alligators best. Oh, and unicorns. ;)

Q: How many festivals do you do each year and where are they?
A: I am based outside of Boston, MA and I do many weekly markets in the area. I also get to do a lot of traveling for my work, which is great! I've had the opportunity to show at festivals in New York, Washington, DC, Orlando, Richmond, Baltimore, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, and of course Pittsburgh! I typically travel out of state 1-2x a month. This year we're doing a 37 day long pop-up shop at Boston's City Hall from Thanksgiving - New Year's Eve!

Q: The holiday show in Pittsburgh that I do is called Handmade Arcade and that is on Saturday, Dec. 2. I will know if I am accepted to the show by September 20.

A:There is also another show called I Made it Mart, and may be the week after or before? I haven't done that one, but I hear good things. 

Check out some more of Jen's designs on her website:

http://zooguu.com

Meeting & Feeding Azizi!

  While at the Pittsburgh Zoo we saw our friend, Mo, and he made my dreams come true again!!

This is Azizi! 

Azizi is slightly smaller than Jomo. 

She is a momma, but her baby has grown to an age that it was safe to separate them. The baby now lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I hope to be able to visit her sometime!

                                         

 Me and my brother Djedly are feeding Azizi!

                           

                          

She also loves sweet potatoes!!

                         

Thanks Mo! We had a great time learning from you once again!! We hope to see you again soon!

Rockin' Rhino at the Pittsburgh Zoo!

Rockin Rhino was an event at our zoo where one of the rhino keepers, Ms. Diane, took the time to answer a lot of questions about rhinos. I talked with her a lot! One of the things I really want to do is attend Bowling for Rhinos, which is a yearly event that raises money to support rhino conservation through the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK). Ms. Diane goes to it every year! She told me that Jomo paints, and each year one of his paintings is auctioned off at the event! 

This is a rhino growth chart. My mom is really glad that I'm not a baby rhino...

The zoo even has a rhino mascot!!!

Ms. Diane taught that rhino horns are straighter than others because rhinos will brush their horns against rocks and tree bark to sharpen it. She also explained that rhinos are related to horses. They have similar stomachs and toes. I also read that they can both gallop and can go up to 35 miles an hour! Ms. Diane also explained to me that unlike in Africa, the birds often seen on rhinos are helping them. They're picking ticks off of them! But here in Pittsburgh the rhinos don't have ticks, so you may not see a rhino with a bird on top here!

Ms. Diane told me that the zoo has tried to keep things as natural as they can for this family of rhinos. The momma and the baby stay together, but when the baby is with its dad, Jomo it will spar with him!  This is a big deal because as Ms. Diane would say, "They can't take a joke!" and they can be aggressive. These rhinos have been taught that they can be comfortable here.

Ms. Diane was really nice to talk to. She was really excited to know that I want to be a rhino conservationist. These rhinos are Eastern Black rhinos. Which means that they're semi solitary. They don't live in herds like other animals. Ms. Diane told me that there are White rhinos at The Wilds in Ohio. I hope I can see them one day.

I've learned that rhinos will ram into things they are scared of. Ms. Diane explained that they face their fear. They are not predators, but they are always on guard!

I really love our zoo and I am thankful for the people that help take care of the animals and teach kids like me about them.

I've been through these doors, and hopefully I'll pass through doors like this in the future when I'm a conservationist! I learned from a staff member named Tracy at the zoo that I will need to get a degree in either biology, zoology, animal science, anthropology, animal husbandry, or environmental science to become a rhino conservationist. Before I can do that I hope to take the KidScience and Zoo U classes at the zoo to learn more about animals and meet more of the keepers at our zoo. There's also a program at our zoo called Conservation with the Keepers. It is held twice a year. How cool is that? Ms. Tracy also advised me to volunteer or work at an animal shelter to get some experience with other kinds of animals. Unfortunately, most zoos will not accept internships until college. I'll have to take at least one year of classes before I can apply for that kind of job. But Ms. Tracy and both Ms. Diane and Mr. Mo all encouraged me to continue to work to support the zoo and conservation efforts around the world. 

The Carnegie Museum of History even has rhinos!

 The Carnegie Museum of history has the 2nd largest collection of dinosaurs in the whole world! Rhinos are related to Dinosaurs and have been around since dinosaurs. The Carnegie has this collection on display near an area where kids can pretend to excavate. It's a really fun area. If you visit, you should try it!

Here is a collection of ancient rhino horns and bones.

                                         

                                                  There is even a statue of a Black rhino.

It isn't real, but it is life size.

This should show how big an average Black Rhino is.

Meeting & Feeding Jomo

This is Mr. Mo. He works at the Pittsburgh Zoo. He works for the rhinos. A few years ago he let me feed 2 black bears named Stanley and Susan. He is the person that made my dreams come true. He let me feed Jomo and he taught me about how he takes care of Jomo.

Mr. Mo takes good care of Jomo and his friends.

They love sweet potatoes! That is their favorite snack food.

You can tell that Jomo LOVES sweet potatoes!

I can't believe I am actually meeting a rhino!

Jomo really wants a snack!

I tried really hard not to drop it, but I was nervous!

Mr. Mo showed us that Jomo likes to be pet like a dog!

Mr. Mo really loves Jomo!

My brother Djedly got to help feed Jomo too!

I did not know how soft the lip of a rhino is until Mr. Mo let me touch it! This was an amazing experience! I'm so happy that Jomo and his friends live at our zoo.