Coal Valley, IL - 21 October 2013 - Niabi Zoo officials announced today that the Zoo's two Asian elephants, Babe and Sophie, have arrived safely at their new home at the Little Rock Zoo in Little Rock, Arkansas. The elephants, which arrived in Arkansas this afternoon, are currently settling into their new habitat after the drive from Niabi Zoo.

After an extensive and thorough nationwide search, elephant care expert Alan Roocroft selected Little Rock Zoo as the best fit for Babe and Sophie based on a number of criteria that were mutually agreed upon between Mr. Roocroft and Niabi Zoo staff. "Our number one criteria when selecting a facility for Babe and Sophie was that it be located in a warmer climate," said Niabi Zoo Director Marc Heinzman, "and Little Rock Zoo only has a combined week or two each year when their elephants have to be kept inside. That's a major improvement  from the four to six months that we have at Niabi Zoo."

In addition to the warmer climate, Mr. Roocroft and Niabi Zoo staff also focused on the management program and staff experience at any potential facilities. "It was important to us that Babe and Sophie continue to be managed in such a way that would encourage them to stay active and healthy," said Heinzman. "Babe is overweight and Sophie has arthritis. In order to keep these conditions from worsening as they age, they need to be in a management program that has them exercise and stay mobile. Mr. Roocroft was impressed by the condition of Little Rock Zoo's elephant and the knowledge of the Zoo's elephant team."

Alan Roocroft visited Little Rock Zoo in September and prepared a report on his assessment of their management program and facilities, which was recently submitted to Niabi Zoo staff. Babe and Sophie will be joining Little Rock Zoo's one adult female Asian elephant, Zina. Babe and Sophie will be kept together while also adding to a third member to their herd, which were two other important factors to Mr. Roocroft and Niabi Zoo.

Niabi Zoo was assisted in the transport of the elephants by Feld Entertainment Inc., which operates Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Feld Entertainment Inc., the original owners of Babe and Sophie before they were donated to Niabi Zoo, donated their services and transportation expertise to Niabi Zoo. "We're extremely grateful to Feld Entertainment for helping us with what otherwise could have been a very costly procedure," said Heinzman. "Their vast experience with transporting elephants and their equipment was invaluable. Moving elephants is normally extremely costly and dangerous, and we couldn't have done it without Feld Entertainment."

Babe and Sophie, who have been at Niabi Zoo since 2000 and 2003 respectively, will be on loan to Little Rock Zoo. By loaning them, Niabi Zoo retains ownership and oversight of the elephants' future. "It was, and will continue to be, extremely important to us that Babe and Sophie stay together and leave Niabi Zoo for the best possible situation," said Heinzman, "and we're in agreement with Mr. Roocroft that Little Rock Zoo offers that."

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Davenport, Iowa (October 16, 2013) - Walter Haskell Hinton: Image Maker for Deere is an exhibition of Walter Haskell Hinton works from the Deere & Company collection. The exhibition will be on display at the Figge Art Museum beginning Saturday in the second floor print gallery.

At a time when tractors replaced teams of horses, Hinton was hired by John Deere in 1934 to humanize the tractor by making it seem like a part of the family. His work helped make the John Deere Model D, produced from 1925 to 1953, an icon of American manufacturing.

The exhibition includes the iconic Boy Driving Tractor painting as well as lesser-known works and examples of printed materials using Hinton's images, including his 12-panel biography of John Deere. Originally created as a calendar, the painted biography portrays Deere's invention and production of the modern plow as a key element in the taming of the American West and the fulfillment of the country's "Manifest Destiny."

In his work for Deere, Hinton demonstrated tremendous creativity in presenting the product?a John Deere tractor?in a way that made it emotionally appealing. Hinton's work is the forerunner of today's advertising industry, which uses sophisticated psychology and visual technology to sell products 24 hours a day.

Hinton provides a unique window into the 1930s. With their obvious idealization of farm life, his pictures look beyond the Depression to an era when daily life would be transformed by technology and industry. The exhibition is sponsored by John Deere and will be on view through February 2, 2014.

Companion Event:  

Curator Talk

Thursday, October 24

7 p.m. / FREE

Nathan Augustine, collections manager at Deere & Company and curator of Walter Haskell Hinton: Image Maker for Deere, will be speaking in the John Deere Auditorium about the Hinton exhibition at 7 p.m. His presentation is titled "Walter Haskell Hinton: Illustrator of Corporate History."

About the Figge Art Museum

The Figge Art Museum is located on the riverfront in downtown Davenport at 225 West Second Street. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and Sundays 12-5 p.m. Thursdays the museum is open until 9 p.m. Admission to the museum and tour is $7. Admission is free to Figge members and institutional members and free to all on Thursday evenings from 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.. To contact the museum, please call 563.326.7804, or visit www.figgeartmuseum.org.