I visited the lobby of the Plain Dealer Thursday to see the pack of 25 painted dogs before they were unleashed in the St. Clair/Superior neighborhood. The dogs were inspired by the Chinese Year of the Dog. These dogs are much more exciting than anything you will see in the Westminster Dog Show, some are painted naturalistically and others are more fanciful. Many of the artists chose an Asian design. Some artists added accessories – like the tin of jasmine tea – to the standard fiberglass form.

I love public art, especially sculpture and I think this type of project is great. The works are very accessible and the project involves many artists.  The limited duration also motivates  people to get out and look at art. Of this type of public art project, I think the dogs are my favorite. They are much cuter than the guitars (remember Guitar Mania) and they are less threatening than some painted buffalo I saw in Canada a few years ago. These colorful, perky dogs will definitely brighten up the St. Clair/Superior neighborhood this summer and, come fall, you could even take one home; the dogs will be auctioned October 21st.

The Plain Dealer ran an article about the dogs today, Monday, May 22nd. Steven Litt also wrote about the project in April. The project is sponsored by the the St. Clair/Superior Development Corporation, City Artists At Work and City Art.