I Love My Dog Exhibition at Palos Verdes Art Center

I LOVE MY DOG, FEATURING WILLIAM WEGMAN PHOTOGRAPHY, SET TO OPEN OCTOBER 11TH AT PALOS VERDES ART CENTER

The Palos Verdes Art

Center/Beverly G. Alpay Center for Arts Education proudly presents I Love My Dog, an exhibition celebrating
the special relationship between man and dog, curated by PVAC Executive
Director, Joe Baker.  I Love
My Dog opens Friday, October 11, 2013 in the newly remodeled Yassin and
Walker Galleries of the Palos Verdes Art Center, 5504 West Crestridge Road,
Rancho Palos Verdes. The exhibit will run through January 5, 2014. PVAC Member

pre-opening reception and gallery talks will begin at 5 p.m., October 11, with

the general public opening to following from 6-8 p.m. The exhibition is free

and open to the public. To inquire about a PVAC membership, please call

310-541-2479.

“The domesticated dog is so deeply

intertwined in our lives it is only natural that they have also found their way

into our arts practice,” states Baker. The I Love My Dog exhibit examines a

variety of ways that artists have brought the depiction of the dog to the art

world.  Historical artwork will be paired

with contemporary art to suggest how attitudes towards dogs have changed, or

not, over the past 200 years, and how these changes are reflected in artistic

activity. Paintings from the 19th and 20th century will include artwork loaned

from the collection of the American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog. These masterworks

depict the important role the dog has played in human history, serving as

hunters, guardians, companions, and friends. Contemporary artists will include Antoine

Bootz, Doug Meyer, Siri Devi Khandavilli, and William Wegman.

In 1970, William Wegman began making

videos with his Weimaraner, Man Ray, named after the influential American expat

Dada and Surrealist artist of the first half of the 20th

century.  Man Ray became a central figure in Wegman’s

photography and videos and functioned as a collaborator – a virtual alter

ego.  Together the two created a large,

important body of pioneering video work, typically shot in a single take and

often including subtle humor and a simple, direct style of performance.  The works were always low-tech, intimate and idiosyncratic

with some humorous moments. The Wegman videos presented in I Love My Dog represent the highlights of their work from

1973-1974.  The exhibited videos, on loan

from Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis, Missouri, are clear examples of the

sense of trust and communication between the dog and human, showing how the dog

is both an actor and instigator in his own life, absent the human projections

we so often make with our pets. The exhibit will include several of Wegman’s

color Polaroid photographs, on loan from the Lisa Sette Gallery, Scottsdale,

Arizona.

The exhibit will also feature a series

of architectural dog houses from architects and student-collectives from the

area’s most accomplished designers, including Michael Song, Scott Callihan, Ben

Ong, Architecture Department faculty, LA Harbor College.  These architectural installations translate

the specific relationship between breed and owner into a selection of creative,

avant-garde doggy dream houses.

The topic of the dog-human

relationship will live on far beyond the exhibition galleries. Palos Verdes Art

Center will offer educational and special events programming over the course of

the exhibit.  Yappy Hour, set for December 13 will feature Bowser Beer and other pet specific items in a celebratory evening.  Special screenings of canine movies will

enhance our appreciation of a dog’s loyalty, heroism, humor and intelligence

from the earliest days of film. Sponsors for I Love My Dog and special events include Kong, State Farm

Insurance/Suzy Zimmerman, and Rock & Brews.

The Palos

Verdes Art Center is a non-profit organization celebrating 82 years - proudly

providing the Peninsula, South Bay and Los Angeles County with visual arts

education, exhibition and outreach programming. The Art Center is committed to

its mission of inspiring adults and children to create, appreciate, and

celebrate art for all residents in Los Angeles County. PVAC is able to achieve

this by offering a creative, fun, and vibrant environment - helping to achieve

personal and cultural growth for all. For more information on events, classes,

exhibitions or volunteer opportunities call (310) 541-2479 or visit: www.pvartcenter.org