WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Ranging from artistic to scientific, life-size decorated dog statues are popping up throughout the Greater Lafayette area as part of the Dog Days of Summer art project.

The project, which officially opens on Saturday (May 9), is a partnership between the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine and the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette. It highlights the 50th anniversary of the School of Veterinary Medicine and the 100th anniversary of the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, both of which are being celebrated this year.

Lowe's employee Roger Beaver fastens down 'Dog Tagged' on Main Street between 10th and 11th streets in Lafayette. It is the first dog in the Dog Days of Summer exhibition in Lafayette, West Lafayette and on the Purdue campus. The dogs are mounted on 600-pound bases, which were placed in their designated locations by crews from Purdy Concrete and Fairfield Contractors. (Photo courtesy of Dog Days of Summer)

The exhibit’s opening is scheduled to coincide with “Mosey Down Main Street,” a free festival that will take place from 6 p.m. to midnight Saturday on Lafayette’s Main Street between Sixth and Ninth streets. The festival will feature music, performers, food and vendors. There will be Dog Days of Summer merchandise for sale, raffle tickets to win one of the dogs, and the opportunity to paint dog magnets and to decorate your own dog on a T-shirt.

The Dog Days of Summer builds upon previous sculpture projects in the community: Hog Wild in 2003 and Frog Follies in 2005. This new project also is inspired by the School of Veterinary Medicine’s outdoor sculpture “Continuum” by Larry Anderson, which features a dog as part of its array of people and animals in a depiction of the enduring human-animal bond.

As part of the project, artists from Indiana and other areas decorated three-dimensional fiberglass dog forms, which will be displayed in Lafayette, West Lafayette and on the Purdue campus through September. Many sponsors supported the project at a level sufficient to have their name associated with a specific dog. Plaques placed with each dog identify the artists, title and the sponsor.

Two of the painted dogs have special associations with the veterinary school and art museum. “Give a Dog a Bone” by artist Liz Rainey, was adopted by the School of Veterinary Medicine as its official 50th anniversary entry in the exhibit. Faculty, staff and students raised the $5,000 sponsorship, which means the school will keep the dog permanently after the exhibit. Similarly, the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette and the Art League adopted “Centennial Dog” by artist Louie Laskowski to recognize the museum’s 100th anniversary. Board members raised the $5,000 sponsorship to enable the museum to keep the dog permanently.

In addition to the exhibit itself, numerous events are planned in which children and adults can learn more about dogs, veterinary care and produce their own works of dog art. The Dog Days of Summer project also will have a presence and offer activities at local community events such as Round the Fountain Art Fair and Gallery Walk. The public also will have the chance to vote on its favorite dog and to win one of the dog sculptures through a raffle.

In conjunction with the exhibition, a few of the decorated dogs will go on the road as part of the School of Veterinary Medicine’s traveling exhibit in celebration of its 50th anniversary. Other dog sculptures will be auctioned off to the public on Oct. 4. Proceeds from the project will benefit the School of Veterinary Medicine’s 50th Anniversary Scholarship Endowment and its Good Samaritan Fund, and the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette’s art education programs.

Major Dog Days sponsors include the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette and Art League; Awards Unlimited; the city of Lafayette; clients of the Purdue University Veterinary Teaching Hospital and Lyn Freeman, doctor of veterinary medicine; DeFouw Chevrolet; Fairfield Contractors Inc.; Farm Bureau Insurance; Haywood Printing; Henriott Group; Holder and Fehrenbach Law Offices; Jones and Phillips Associates; the Journal & Courier; Lafayette Bank and Trust; Lafayette Life Foundation; Lafayette Limo; Lafayette-West Lafayette Convention and Visitors Bureau; Laird Therapy Dog Rescue; Lausch Photography; Lilly Tippecanoe Labs; Lowe’s Home Improvement; Muinzer Moving & Storage; Old National Bank for WBAA; Paw Prints Animal Hospital; Purdue Beat Society; Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union; Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine Alumna Deborah Breitstein, doctor of veterinary medicine; Purdue School of Veterinary Medicine Class of 1964; Purdue School of Veterinary Medicine faculty, staff and students; Purdy Concrete; Regions Bank; Sheila and Vic Klinker; Sovereign Catering & Events; Spiris Inc.; and W.H. Long Companies.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — As part of the upcoming Dog Days of Summer project, lesson plans created around the theme of dogs are now being offered for teachers of students enrolled in kindergarten through the eighth grade.

Project organizers said all of the lesson plans take Indiana’s core academic standards into account and are offered in areas including art education, English language arts, math, social studies and science. The plans can be used to supplement already existing curriculum, so area schools will be able to take part in the upcoming Dog Days of Summer events. The Dog Days of Summer project will place decorated, life-size dog statues throughout the area in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine and the 100th anniversary of the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette.

More than 40 dog sculptures have been painted by artists and will be displayed from May to September in downtown Lafayette, West Lafayette and on the Purdue campus.

Participating schools also will be able select some students’ dog art projects to be on display at the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette as part of a special exhibit called Dogs Rule. This exhibit will run from June 26 to July 24, with an opening reception for participating students and their families on June 26.

In addition to the lesson plans, a variety of events and activities are planned to enable children to participate in the Dog Days of Summer sculpture project. These include a summer event at the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette where children can produce dog art and learn about veterinary medicine and basic dog care; an event at the School of Veterinary Medicine’s annual open house in April where children can paint dog-related items; events at two local pottery stores in which participants can decorate dog-related items; and activities at local community events such as the Round the Fountain Art Festival, Gallery Walk and Mosey Down Main.

More than 40 dog sculptures have been painted by artists and will be displayed from May to September in downtown Lafayette, West Lafayette and on the Purdue campus. Area businesses and individuals are sponsoring many of the dogs. Sponsors at the top level will keep their dogs permanently. All other doges will be auctioned to the public in October.

Proceeds from the project will benefit the School of Veterinary Medicine’s 50th Anniversary Scholarship Endowment and its Good Samaritan Fund, and the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette’s art education programs.

September 20, 2008 through December 20, 2008

Art Smart: Indiana, an AMGL and Children’s Museum program, provides state-wide access to the history of Indiana and makes the history of Indiana come alive for the students by using art as a focus; students learn through examining art, how the earliest settlers existed and how they persevered from life in a wilderness in 1800 to present day living. The Art Smart:Indiana program has always been well regarded among Indiana 4th grade teachers and helps teachers to meet the State of Indiana Academic Standards.

The Art Museum of Greater Lafayette is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11am - 4pm, and closed Sunday and Monday.

Art Museum of Greater Lafayette
102 South Tenth Street
Lafayette, IN 47905
(765) 742-1128

Confluence of the Fox River and the Wabash. Watercolor by Karl Bodmer, 1832

LAFAYETTE-WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — On Saturday, October 11th, artists from all over Indiana and the general public are invited to draw and paint the beautiful fall landscape along the Wabash River. Spectators are also invited to wander through the area to see how paintings are created, and listen to acoustic music by local musicians. The event will be centered at the Train Depot in Riehle Plaza, but artists will be working along the Wabash in Tapawingo Park, on the Pedestrian Bridge, and in Riehle Plaza or nearby the trains. This is a free event and open to the public.

Beginning with the famous Indiana Impressionist painters of the turn of the century, people from far and wide have loved to interpret the Indiana landscape by sketching and painting outside in oil, watercolor, pastel, and graphite. During the past twenty years or so, plein air painting events, called “Paint-Outs”, have become a favorite of artists, collectors, and spectators. They give artists an opportunity to meet other artists and collectors while they enjoy the great out-of-doors. They also give everyone, including the public, an opportunity to watch the artists at work as they bring the landscape to life on canvas and paper.

Local artists paint scenery from the banks of the Wabash River.

OTHER EVENTS DURING THE DAY:

PLEIN AIRE PAINTING SALE in the Train Depot from 9am to 5pm
The Art Museum will host a sale of framed paintings by the artists who are participating in the Paint-Out. Artists will bring their paintings to the depot between 8-9am. People who purchase a painting will support both the artists and the art museum. This year’s event will also have Purchase Award Sponsors for the first time, and their pledge will be publicly recognized at the sale. Anyone interested in sponsoring a Purchase Award should contact the Art Museum or Kathryn Clark, chair of the event.

WORKSHOPS IN WATERCOLOR, PASTEL, SKETCHING, and ONE FOR CHILDREN
At last year’s event, many people expressed an interest in painting and drawing from nature but didn’t know how to get started. This year they can take a workshop to learn how. The Art Museum will offer workshops at the paint-out for the public. Prize winning artists Jeannie McLeish from Mooresville (watercolor), Carol Strock-Wasson from Union City (pastel), James Werner(sketching), and Cindy Krulitz (children) from Lafayette will teach these workshops along the Wabash. There will be a fee, and the number of participants is limited. For more information call the Art Museum at 742-1128.

FREE OIL PAINTING DEMONSTRATION AT RIEHLE PLAZA
For curious spectators, Lafayette’s well known painter, Jeff Klinker, will explain how he creates an oil painting as he paints the Train Depot during the event.

PLEIN AIR PAINTING RAFFLE
The Art Museum will raffle a painting of the Wabash River by Jeannie McLeish which she painted at last year’s Paint-Out. Tickets will be sold at the Art Museum and other local businesses. For more information on this, call the art museum or Kathryn Clark, chair (563-3210).

4PM GATHERING OF “WET” PAINTINGS
At 4pm, the artists will gather at Riehle Plaza to exhibit the paintings, pastels, and drawings they created that day. The public can meet the artists, enjoy the paintings, and purchase one directly from the artist if they wish.

RECEPTION FOR THE ARTISTS AT THE TRAIN DEPOT 5-7pm
After the “4pm Gathering” at Riehle Plaza, artists and those who purchased paintings will have a chance to meet at the train Depot Reception.

For more information including digital photos of last year’s paint-out, call Kathryn Clark, volunteer chair at 563-3210 or e-mail her at kclark@twinrocker.com, or call the art Museum 742-1128 (Glenda McClatchy at ext. 102).

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette awarded a Community Beautification Field of Interest Grant, in the amount of $1,800, to the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette. The funds will be applied to landscaping the Art Museum grounds.

John Collier, Director of Campus Planning for Purdue, has volunteered to design a new landscaping plan for the museum on the Ninth Street hill, in Lafayette. Master Gardener, David Lahr volunteered to oversee and direct the installation and maintenance. This grant, combined with a $5,000 grant received from Tipmont REMC, in August, will fund the materials and labor necessary to complete the project. Work will begin this fall and be completed in spring, 2009.