The French avant-garde artist, writer and movie director Jean Cocteau once said that “I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul.” This summer cats in need of forever homes will become the visible soul of MEOW: A Cat-Inspired Exhibition, a celebration of the divine feline.
From July 13 – September 4, 2016, adorable, adoptable four-pawed art aficionados from the Worcester Animal Rescue League will meet admirers of living masterpieces who meow at Studio 206, Higgins Education Wing of the Worcester Art Museum as part of a Cats-in-Residence Program. (Protecting the museum’s precious works of art from curious paws, the education wing is not connected to the museum’s galleries.) Artist and critic Rhonda Lieberman has curated the unique installation, which has also been featured at galleries in Los Angeles and Hartford, Connecticut and has so far helped 55 kitties find forever families to love.
Through July 24th, visitors of the Higgins Education Wing can also enjoy the kitty-themed creations at a Community Cat Show, where area artists and collectors will show their artistic affection for our feline friends.
Following are a few of the other fun activities in store at the Worcester Art Museum this summer for fans of fine art and felines:
- Through September 4th art lovers can gather in a clowder in the PDP Gallery to see The Captivating Cat: Felines and The Artist’s Gaze–over 70 cat-themed works on display from such iconic artists as Theophile Alexander Steinlen, Pissarro and Albrecht Durer. Feline fanciers can also stroll along on a self-guided Cat Walk throughout the museum to view the facility’s many famous feline art works, including Gustave Courbet’s Woman with a Cat and an ancient Egyptian cat sculpture.
- Although cats are top dog at the museum through the duration of the exhibit, through September 4th fans of Fidos can also enjoy canine-themed artworks curated by Helmutt the dog, among them Abbott Handerson Thayer’s portrait of a pup entitled Head of a Dog.
- At Helmutt’s House, fans of artist-illustrator Rob Reger of Emily the Strange fame are invited to check out original paintings of the popular character and her coterie of kitty companions: Mystery, Miles, NeeChee and Sabbath. This exhibition runs though September 25th.
- All summer long visitors are invited to tap into their inner PiCATsso by attending a Cat Craft Class, where pals of those who purr can paint a pet portrait, make a cat toy to take home to Fluffy, sit in on curator talks, and much more.
The Worcester Art Museum is located at 55 Salisbury Street in Worcester, Massachusetts.
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Photo Credit: Worcester Art Museum/Facebook
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