Penguins now rule
by Theodore Kim
Gazette Staff Writer
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July 19, 2000

Fowl plays role as unofficial mascot for downtown
           
Most cities have pigeons. Silver Spring has penguins.

You heard right. Penguins.

These flightless fowl have adapted well to life inside the Capital Beltway. And they're not your run-of-the-mill, garden-variety, Antarctic penguins.
 
But don't tell that to artist Sally Callmer, whose 100-foot mural, "Penguin Rush Hour," depicting penguins at a Metro terminal, has adorned a space near the real Silver Spring Metro station for more than a decade.
 
"Penguins are pretty likable," Callmer said of her tuxedoed birds. "They don't offend anyone, I don't think."

  Since the mural's unveiling in 1989, penguins have gradually, somehow, become Silver Spring's unofficial "downtown mascot."
 
  They've appeared on street-signs urging pedestrian safety. A large stuffed-penguin stands conspicuously in a window at City Place mall. Another penguin, carved out of wood, stands in the front yard of local sculptor Ann Ruppert. Occasionally, an inflatable penguin rears its head at the local library.

In addition, county officials plan to place placards around the central business district in the fall, cautioning drivers and pedestrians of future downtown construction projects. The logo, which is unofficial: A penguin in a hardhat.

"We thought it would be something cute to do," said Lori Gillen, head of Silver Spring's Regional Center, of the informal penguin design. "Penguins are cute. I think everyone can agree on that."
 
Moreover, the penguin mural has become a handy landmark when giving directions.

"When you come out of the Metro station, walk past the penguins and then take a left," a reporter recently explained to a lost commuter.

Jerry McCoy, head of the Silver Spring Historical Society, described the penguin mural as "smile inducing."

Still, he is puzzled by the choice of penguins.

"Maybe it should be something like a squirrel," McCoy said. "Lord knows I have enough of those in my back yard."

Sorrel Fisher, a local activist, said the penguin design has appeared in artwork shown in recent parades, as well as on signs promoting other public events held in Silver Spring.

"These penguins have, sort of, just shown up everywhere," Fisher said.

And while she likes the mural, Fisher argued Silver Spring could use a different mascot which better fits the region.

Marcie Stickle, an area preservationist, meanwhile, said Callmer's work "really shows the hurly-burly of the morning commute."

"It's a mixture of humor and whimsy," Stickle said of the mural. "We need that in today's society."

Artist Callmer, 46, of Bethesda, said she didn't expect her work would have such an impact on the local community.

"For every artist, that's the goal," she said of the picture's lasting impression. "People that walk by [the mural] tell me it makes their day."

Still, the unusual subject art begs the question: Why penguins in the first place?

"For lots of reasons," Callmer said. "Black-and-white looked good. The colors seemed to stand out. ... And they all look like they're wearing suits, doing their own thing. It looks like a real rush-hour."

The mural, which Callmer created as the winner of a public art contest by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, was originally to be displayed for one year.

The Metro Authority, however, later decided to purchase the work and display it permanently, she said.

"I'm really glad I didn't have to take it down," she said. "I mean, what would I do with it?"

Callmer modeled her fowl after pictures of penguins in countless nature magazines.

It then took her six months to paint, one by one, the 25 giant plywood panels that comprise the work. She used exterior latex paint for the painstaking job, and designed them at her house in Bethesda.

"I had to lay them all out on the floor," she said. "I remember lying down sideways for hours. It was tiring."

But worth it, she said.

Callmer's deep love of art began in elementary school, when she painted a picture of astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space, to commemorate his historic 1961 flight.

Callmer, a lifelong resident of Montgomery County, has been painting, sculpting and sketching ever since.

In addition to "Penguin Rush Hour," she has painted other murals in the region -- including a large scene at a Rockville ice rink depicting cavemen playing hockey.

Currently, she's working on a "prism-like" mural that will be displayed on the roof of a pedestrian tunnel along the Capital Crescent Trail in Bethesda.

"I've always liked the look and impact of large-scale paintings," Callmer said of her murals.

Occasionally on warm evenings, she said, she stops by the Silver Spring Metro station to examine her penguin work for peels and cracks, which she tries to patch with fresh coats of paint.

On a recent visit, she grimaced as she ran her hand across a small, peeling fissure on the artwork.

"I'm just amazed that it's stood for so long," she said.
 
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