Mascot Studio's 11th Annual Dog Show
An exhibition of canine-inspired art
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
On February 11, Mascot Studio, a tiny storefront on Ninth Street in the East Village, was packed with people sipping wine and conversing. Even more people milled around outside. They had come for the opening of the 11th Annual Dog Show, an exhibition of art about dogs curated by Mascot’s owner, Peter McCaffrey.
The art is all adorable: paintings and prints of dogs in an array of styles. One is a photograph of a scruffy mutt staring into the camera. Another is a row of papier-maché figurines of ladies in bright jackets, each with a pooch on a leash. Each piece's price marker has been made to look like a collar tag.
“The show is a celebration of the dog as an icon,” says McCaffery. The gallery's first Dog Show was in 1999, when another local artist, Anne Watkins, painted a spread for *Bark* magazine of business owners’ dogs on 9th Street, including McCaffrey’s Jack Russell terriers Beckett and Bloom.
McCaffrey enjoyed it so much, he decided to reach out to other artists who depict dogs. “It started out local, even other artists in the building,” said McCaffrey, “and it grew into an annual thing.” The show has expanded to include artists from all over.
One of the artists who attended the opening was Jane O’Hara. She came down from Boston, where she operates a gallery called Fenway Studios. O'Hara has two realistic portraits in the show: one of a French Bulldog and the other a “Heinz 57,” as she laughingly called a shaggy, white terrier. This is her second year in the show, which she enjoys. “Mascot is so charming,” O'Hara said. “I love that Peter loves animals.”
The Dog Show happens each February, to coincide with the Valentine’s Day and the Westminster Dog Show at Madison Square Garden. This year, it will be up until March 15. Mascot Studio is primarily a frame shop, and the Dog Show is one of the few themed shows McCaffrey hangs.
“People think I do this all the time,” said McCaffrey, referring to the dog art covering the walls around him. “But it’s only once a year, because I want it to be special." The show, he added, is about "the spirit of the animal, not just reporting images about dogs." For next year, McCaffrey is considering expanding the scale of the show, perhaps moving it to a larger space. One thing is for certain, though: no cat show. “Never gonna happen,” he said.
The art is all adorable: paintings and prints of dogs in an array of styles. One is a photograph of a scruffy mutt staring into the camera. Another is a row of papier-maché figurines of ladies in bright jackets, each with a pooch on a leash. Each piece's price marker has been made to look like a collar tag.
“The show is a celebration of the dog as an icon,” says McCaffery. The gallery's first Dog Show was in 1999, when another local artist, Anne Watkins, painted a spread for *Bark* magazine of business owners’ dogs on 9th Street, including McCaffrey’s Jack Russell terriers Beckett and Bloom.
McCaffrey enjoyed it so much, he decided to reach out to other artists who depict dogs. “It started out local, even other artists in the building,” said McCaffrey, “and it grew into an annual thing.” The show has expanded to include artists from all over.
One of the artists who attended the opening was Jane O’Hara. She came down from Boston, where she operates a gallery called Fenway Studios. O'Hara has two realistic portraits in the show: one of a French Bulldog and the other a “Heinz 57,” as she laughingly called a shaggy, white terrier. This is her second year in the show, which she enjoys. “Mascot is so charming,” O'Hara said. “I love that Peter loves animals.”
The Dog Show happens each February, to coincide with the Valentine’s Day and the Westminster Dog Show at Madison Square Garden. This year, it will be up until March 15. Mascot Studio is primarily a frame shop, and the Dog Show is one of the few themed shows McCaffrey hangs.
“People think I do this all the time,” said McCaffrey, referring to the dog art covering the walls around him. “But it’s only once a year, because I want it to be special." The show, he added, is about "the spirit of the animal, not just reporting images about dogs." For next year, McCaffrey is considering expanding the scale of the show, perhaps moving it to a larger space. One thing is for certain, though: no cat show. “Never gonna happen,” he said.
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