Why P-22? P-22 is the lone mountain lion living in one of North America’s largest urban parks. Originally from the western Santa Monica Mountains, this nimble young puma has faced much adversity to travel to and survive in our beloved 4,300-plus-acre Griffith Park. This beautiful, big cat beat the odds and his continued survival makes him an apt mascot for our city. P-22’s story is about being scrappy and making do; it’s also about the importance of preserving native wildlife, parks, and a recognition of the interdependence of our species. No other major city in America has the volume of wildlife that L.A. does. Our park is P-22’s home.
Why a coloring and activity book? We want to pay tribute to P-22 in a medium that kids can interact with and help them learn about their incredible neighbor and the importance of protecting his habitat. The goal is to teach the next generation to respect urban wildlife. Kiddos love to color and we want them to have an awesome, educational book featuring line art by local artists who share an appreciation for this amazing character living in our midst.
Want to submit? Please meditate on the life of an elusive puma—for inspiration, visit #SaveLACougars and read recent articles—and create a line-art illustration of P-22. We request that he be doing something “lionish,” and that the art be appropriate for children. This is not an adult coloring book in either content or form.
To be considered for the book, please email the following to p22@narratedobjects.com by Wednesday, March 1, 2017.
1) A link to download your 8 1/2 x 11 vertical P-22 illustration(s) as a hi-res digital file (min. 300 dpi)
2) A short bio of 25 words max
3) One sentence about what P-22 or urban wildlife means to you
Please note that the following scenes have already been submitted: P-22 walking by the Hollywood sign and/or Observatory and riding the Griffith Park Train. You are still welcome to include landmarks, but we encourage you to be creative with your approach so as to distinguish your submission from others.
Current contributors include Sophia Allison, Chris Ayers, Charlie Becker, Anne Blecksmith, Jennifer Cuellar, Pat Kochakji, I-Ching Lao, Leticia Meza, Stephen Silver, and Terryl Whitlatch.
Why contribute? Part of the proceeds from the coloring book will go directly to the nonprofit organization Friends of Griffith Park, which works to protect P-22’s habitat. That’s the main reason why we are doing this: We want to do something to help P-22 and to educate the public about how amazing—and how endangered—his life is.
This project is a labor of love, and we have some great folks on board to help, including Miguel Ordeñana, Citizen Science Coordinator of the Natural History Museum, who will be writing an intro. (He was the first person to discover P-22 in the park!)
Special thanks to the Los Angeles chapter of the Awesome Foundation and the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles, and Center for Cultural Innovation's Creative Economic Development Fund for grants to support this publication.
What do contributors receive? We are also people who think artists and writers should always be paid for their work. After covering production costs and giving a percentage of net profits to Friends of Griffith Park, we will split any remainder among the contributing artists, all of whom will also receive a modest honorarium. It’s not much, but at least it will buy lunch in the park. (Our vote, Trails.) For more info, contact us!
Enjoy some early submissions below.
Photos courtesy of Miguel Ordeñana
Leticia Meza
Sienna Kochakji
Liam Kochakji
