Cincy revives painted pig public art display

CINCINNATI (AP) — Oversized, brightly painted fiberglass pigs are being placed around Cincinnati in a revived public art display to welcome visitors to the World Choir Games.

More than 400 pigs individually designed by artists were placed around the area in 2000 in a display known as the Big Pig Gig. The city revived the program on a smaller scale this year, with about 100 painted pigs.

The displays are planned for Fountain Square, the public library and other downtown locations where they’d be easily seen by tens of thousands of people expected to visit for the international choral competition next month.

The pig art is a reference to the city’s nickname, “Porkopolis,” from its history as a hog-butchering center in the 1800s.