For some people, art galleries are intimidating, but Charlottesville’s New City Arts Initiative has come up with a way to put people at ease. Sandy Hausman reports on new rules at the Welcome Gallery.
If the sophisticated ambience of certain galleries seems pretentious – if terms like aesthetic and je ne sais quoi don’t roll easily off your tongue, the Welcome Gallery could be for you. There, the New City Arts Initiative seeks a different crowd -- dogs and their people.
“We’ve met Hobbs, Cooper, Lily, Winston...”
Maureen Brondyke is Executive Director of the New City Arts Initiative. She had heard of bars sponsoring Yappy Hours, and she liked the idea of inviting canines to the group’s gallery.
“We also love to pun our name, and so New City Arts, New City Barks seemed like a very natural fit, and we’re located on the downtown mall, so there are dogs walking by constantly.”
They’ve hung some of the art at eye level to accommodate four-legged visitors, but do dogs really appreciate the work? Dr. Jennifer Magill, who sees hundreds of dogs each year at the Clair Park Animal Hospital in Stuart’s Draft, says they might.
Some of her patients do react to a cat picture on her wall.
“I certainly see breed preferences, certain things that are high prey drive like a Jack Russell, is going to be more inclined to pay attention to a picture of a cat on the wall," she explains. "A dog that is more of a companion dog, like a pug or a shih tzu, they’re probably not going to pay much attention to it.”
Of course many dogs depend more on senses other than sight. Elly Roller is New City’s programs coordinator.
“Someone brought their dog in and said if we really wanted to do a dog exhibit we should do a smell exhibit,” Roller says.
And dogs, like people, appreciate the taste of a good hors d’oeuvre, and Welcome Gallery has partnered with local pet food providers to ply their canine clientele with treats.
You can find more information about New City Arts here.