DOG DAYS OF SUMMER
Participating Artists
Robert Chambers (United States) / Richard Cosway / Jeff Koons (United States) / Maria Lindberg (Sweden) / Tea Mäkipää (Finland) / Edwin Megargee / William Wegman (United States)
Laumeier presents Dog Days of Summer, an exhibition examining the complex relationship between humans and canines as depicted in visual art, from an 18th-century drawing to a 21st-century site-specific installation. The mutual impact humans and dogs have had on each other over time is a particular focus. The exhibition features the work of ten artists, spanning nearly three centuries, in both the indoor and outdoor galleries at Laumeier. The results of Laumeier's 2010 Visitor Study, which showed that more than 20% of Laumeier’s visitors come with their dog, were highly influential in the development of the exhibition.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is a commissioned dog trail by Finnish artist Tea Mäkipää, who has worked with a range of experts to create a multi-sensory experience for both canine and human visitors along Laumeier’s Art Hike Trail. Mäkipää’s five interactive “stations” highlight the ways in which our four-legged friends “read” and experience the outdoors.
SPONSORS + SUPPORTERS
Dog Days of Summer is supported by St. Louis County Parks, the Regional Arts Commission, Missouri Arts Council, the Arts and Education Council of St. Louis, the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Purina, with additional support provided by the Greater St. Louis Training Club, Inc., the Humane Society of Missouri, Kingsbury Animal Hospital, Lucy Bailey of Dogs Unleashed, LLC, the Mark Twain Laumeier Endowment Fund and the St. Louis Pet Lover Coalition.
