Absence Makes the Art Grow Fonder

Emily Klein’s artwork connects her family with Muriel’s Ranch residents and staff.

While Emily sketched for hours, her brother Aaron waited. He noticed a sheep named Faye who would not tolerate any visitors petting her and he took this up as a challenge. He spent months earning Faye’s trust, and his patience paid off. Faye now approaches Aaron to be groomed and allows him to hug her. They have developed a bond that is unique. Aaron doesn’t groom Faye just for the hugs though—spending time with the animals is very therapeutic and always puts him in a good mood. “Whenever I’m stressed, grooming Faye makes me calm,” he says. “If I go a day without seeing her I’m very unhappy!”

Bert and Jen, who are both animation artists, are homeschooling Emily and Aaron, and these experiences inspired them to make the Zoo an integral part of their curriculum. The Nigerian dwarf goats have served as the basis for a genetics project and as subjects for creative writing assignments. The goats and sheep have inspired Zoo diorama designs and discussions about animal digestion and diets, not to mention countless art projects. Aaron gave a presentation on Shetland sheep for the homeschool group in which the Kleins participate, and currently, the family is learning how to process wool from fleece to thread.

“The Zoo is our biology/science classroom,” Jen explains. “We ask the keepers, Learning and Engagement staff, and volunteers questions about the animals and get an incredible wealth of first-hand knowledge and information from them. We see these three branches of Zoo educators working together every day and we thank them for their passion, enthusiasm, and generosity to our family and to every visitor. Muriel's Ranch is a treasure—a truly important place where children develop empathy and make connections with the animals. You can imagine how much we are missing it!”

During the Zoo closure, Emily created portraits of the goats that were shared with Ranch hands during National Volunteer Week in April. The illustrations were a big hit and have since been made into fabric used for cloth face masks. The Kleins donated about a dozen to the Winnick Family Children’s Zoo staff and volunteers, who have been wearing them proudly, many sporting masks that feature favorite individual goats or goat families.

“All the animals at the Ranch have unique personalities, and when you go so often, you learn their names, their traits, their silly habits,” Emily observes. “When I discovered this, I found that it helps my drawings look more lively and playful. Take Glory the goat, for example. She’s got a ton of personality. She’s super sassy, and will follow you for ‘scratchies.’ Glory also makes silly faces at people and loves to eat, as all goats do. Freckles, the largest, will repeatedly rub his big head against the metal rings that hold my book together. Bert, one of my favorites, also does this. The rest of the goats just want to eat the paper. They are paper piranhas! I apply all of this information to my drawings.”

Emily dreams of becoming a Ranch volunteer one day when she meets the minimum age requirement, but in the meantime she contents herself with being a guest and looks forward to once again visiting the animals and people at Muriel’s Ranch. “I hope they are all doing well!” she says. “I miss Remy, the adorable badger, and I also miss Reisha the horse, and Pua and Petunia the pigs. I miss Ozzie, the goats’ guard dog—he’s such a good boy! I miss the goats and sheep dearly, and I wish the Zoo would open sooner!”