Some buaffalo staying in downtown

[Patrick]

I'm glad to see that several of the sponsors have decided to keep their buffalo in the downtown/Bricktown area. I'm disappointed to hear that some corporations though have chosen to move theirs to more private locations. I think the buffalo exhibit has been good for the downtown area.

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"Parts of buffalo exhibit may stay in downtown


By Steve Lackmeyer
The Oklahoman

The herd may be thinning, but sponsors of the popular "Spirit of the Buffalo" said some of the statues that have graced downtown Oklahoma City will remain for years to come.
Sponsors of the exhibit celebrated the end of the program's successful run Tuesday night, with some getting a final look of statues that provided smiles to many downtown visitors.

The buffaloes went up in May as part of a community art project benefiting the Nature Conservancy of Oklahoma, which maintains preserves across the state.

The statues, which prominent local and national artists decorated, were first put on display as a way to raise money and awareness for the group, but the buffaloes quickly became a favorite photo spot for visitors.

"It's just been a fever," said Bryan Bloom, the organization's philanthropy assistant. "People have fallen in love with these things. Once we began moving the first dozen out, people wanted to see more, and it just snowballed."

So far, at least a dozen sponsors have donated the statues for permanent display in downtown and Bricktown. Others have granted temporary extensions for the current display, while other sponsors are choosing to take back their statues for private display.

"I think we'll have a big handful staying on display," Bloom said. "For how long, I don't know. It may be until the fever dies down or the buffalo, for appearance reasons, have to go indoors."