CBC Purchases Red Wolf Ramble Sculpture

CBC purchased “El Lobo Latino,” which was on display at Cameron Village during the Red Wolf Ramble.

CBC now has a permanent reminder of one of Raleigh’s innovative arts fundraisers. The company has purchased the “El Lobo Latino” wolf from the Red Wolf Ramble, a program developed by the City of Raleigh Arts Commission.

CBC Vice President of Community Relations Paul Pope went to the auction sponsored by the Arts Commission and placed the winning bid on behalf of the company. Over 300 people attended the auction at the North Carolina Museum of History on Friday, April 5.

Local artist Georges Le Chevallier created the design for El Lobo Latino and decorated the wolf. The proceeds from its sale to CBC will go to the Raleigh Arts Commission and Preservation North Carolina. Dr. Carlos Garcia-Velez paid the sponsorship for El Lobo Latino and then donated the wolf for the auction.

Another wolf now has CBC ties as well. The proceeds for Espoir Wolf sponsored by Cameron Village Business & Professional will be donated to the American Cancer Society. The final amount will be announced in May at the Fred Fletcher Memorial Golf Classic, named in honor of the former CBC President.

Forty-seven of the 103 wolves were auctioned off that evening; the others were kept by the organizations who commissioned them or donated by those organizations for public display. Over 90 artists in the Raleigh area decorated the wolves for sponsors who paid $2,000 each for the commissioning.

The Red Wolf Ramble mirrored similar campaigns such as Chicago’s cows and Charlotte’s chairs. The Commission chose the red wolf because it is an endangered species indigenous to North Carolina.

The first sculptures were installed in September 2001, and the event drew to a close with the auction. The auction brought in $155,000, which will go to the Raleigh Arts Commission and 30 other local charities.

El Lobo Latino is currently on display in the WRAL-TV lobby for CBC’ers and the community to enjoy.