When Jessica St. John asked herself the question, "What is the one thing in the world that has absolutely not a damn thing to do with politics or war?" she surprised herself with the answer: bunny heads.
With this in mind, St. John convinced Annette French, owner of the Brady Street shop Dragonfly, to let her create a politically neutral window display.
French, who regularly decorates her window with intruiging displays, was supportive of the idea and "Project Bunny Ears" was born.
The pink and playful display features dozens of photographs of Milwaukeeans wearing bunny ears, from a dog to a fireman to local filmmaker, Brooke Maroldi. St. John's desire to create something light, fun and unpolitical is conveyed in the expressions of her models, all of who are smiling. (Except Maroldi who purposely went for a bunny mug shot instead.)
In the end, the project involved more than 40 people who shared the simple goal of wanting to offer passers by a few seconds of joy and humor.
{INSERT_RELATED}"I wanted to do something that would be a visual treat and not take any kind of stance and just allow people to laugh without feeling guilty and most importantly get people in the door to discover this wonderful shop," says St. John, who is French's cousin.
St. John, who worked for the Milwaukee Art Museum and is currently in retail display, has strong opinions about public art and its relevance in cities. She says many people are unwilling to pay for things that aren't "necessities" and therefore art gets lost. She also feels that a variety of art forms are necessary to attract tourists and to ensure pride among locals.
"Not that I would even consider this project art," she adds modestly. "It's just something nice to look at."
The bunny head window display will remain in tact for the remainder of April. Dragonfly, 1117 E. Brady St., is a boutique and gift shop featuring a unique selection of modern, vintage and retro items.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
