Crazy Cat Celebration at WAM

 

Worcester, MA has an art museum that is considered one of the best small museums in the country, with a wealth of old masters and priceless antiquities.. (It was even featured, with one of its Rembrandts in the film “American Hustle.”) But occasionally WAM does something wacky and untraditional, like its current exhibit MEOW, (May 21 to Sept. 4) which features a “cat walk” through WAM’s galleries to see “the felines as an iconic artistic muse in this exhibition off prints, drawings, paintings and sculpture of cats.”

In conjunction with the exhibition, WAM invited the local community to participate in a separate exhibit, called “Community Cats” in the education wing of the museum.  For a donation of $10 to go to the Worcester Animal Rescue League, anyone could submit a work they have created or collected, “whether the work of art was created in memory of a long-time pet, is an interpretive study, or is the centerpiece of your own private collection.”

Over 250 people brought in cat-themed works of art in every medium imaginable.  We wrote our own labels to explain the work. (As you know I’m a cat person, (although we don't have a pet at the moment), so I brought in a watercolor painting and a copy of my  Greek Cats book.)

Kitty

 Last Sunday I went to the reception for the opening of “Community Cats” and loved seeing artists of every age proudly posing with their art in the Museum.  The art, created by artists as young as six and as old as, um, 75, was funny and  touching and surprising.  Here are photos of some of my favorites.

Above is the "Kitty Warhol" that began the exhibit-- by Paul Koudounaris, who wrote it's a “photoprint on metallic lustre paper”.

These line drawings, incorporating quotations about cats, are by Suzanna Roberts.  I learned that she calls herself the “Wicked Good Witch” and that these drawings are part of her very successful “Karmic Cat Coloring Book.”

A number of the submissions involved needle and thread. Here are two wall hangings. I love the cat quilt on the left with button eyes.

  This cat is all needlepoint and took the artist three years to finish.

There were scary cats.

 

 And Asian--appearing cats.

Flat cats...The lady on the right wrote that her cats never let her read anything.

Cats with big ears....

Memorials for those who had passed away....

  This says Mr. Fur was "gone but not forgotten...one of God's little creatures -- always a gentleman."

This label said "I always thought Grandma's art belonged in a museum."

There were child-like and primitive cats.

This one below is papier maché.

My watercolor scene featuring a harbor cat on the Greek island of Hydra was near the end of the exhibit.

 

 My photo book "The Secret Life of Greek Cats" is under glass in a display case.  The thing behind it is a Japanese ceramic pillow in the shape of a cat.

  

The book was also for sale in the Museum's store, which is overflowing with cat-themed merchandise.

 I think WAM's decision to have cat-themed exhibits and events all summer was brilliant, and I can't wait for the next event--the "Cat-in-Residence Program" from July 13 to September 4:  "Interact with live cats in this contemporary art installation.  Cats will be available for adoption through Worcester Animal Rescue League.  Free admission."

Greece is Going to the Cats

(This is a re-post from last summer's visit to Hydra.)

Five years ago I published a book called "The Secret Life of Greek Cats" based on feline photographs I'd taken over the years, which told about Greek history, myths, traditions and superstitions from the point of view of the cats who are so much a part of the Greek landscape.  As I wrote in the book: "Everywhere you go in Greece you will find a cat...Cats are the punctuation in Greek life...During their catnaps they dream of the days when they were worshipped by the ancient Egyptians and didn't have to rely on the kindness of strangers for food." (The book is still available--for $10-- on Amazon or  by clicking on the book cover to the right.)

Many of the cats in the book were photographed on the island of Hydra, including Vasili, the cat on the cover, who dreamed of jumping on one of the boats in the harbor of Hydra and sailing away to see the world.

On a recent trip back to the island of Hydra, I was curious to see if the economic crisis in Greece had affected the island's feline population.  The harbor cats were there, as numerous as always.  They were gathered to greet the tourists, patiently waiting under the taverna tables for handouts, and agilely avoiding being trampled by the donkeys in the harbor, who are the only form of transportation on the island.

Every time I'd comment that the Hydra cats seemed thinner than before, daughter Eleni would point out a fat cat who clearly enjoyed a regular meal schedule.  (Some of the Greek islands, including Crete, have  organizations which collect contributions to help with the spaying and care of the island's feral cat population.  As far as I know, Hydra does not.)

On many Greek islands the cats have become so numerous and so popular that they are now featured on touristic items like carrier bags.

The  best fed and happiest cats on the island are, of course,  house pets and store cats.

The harbor cats have a harder life, but they regularly greet the fishing boats as they come in in the morning, hoping for scraps when fish are cleaned.  They also keep an eye on the private boats anchored in the harbor-- to the point of mastering tightrope walking, if it will win a tasty bite.

Even the wildest of the feral cats, when the sun begins to set, have to stop a moment and wonder at the beauty of their island, and take a moment to wish for good hunting and a full stomach tomorrow.

Greece is Going to the Cats

Five years ago I published a book called "The Secret Life of Greek Cats" based on feline photographs I'd taken over the years, which told about Greek history, myths, traditions and superstitions from the point of view of the cats who are so much a part of the Greek landscape.  As I wrote in the book: "Everywhere you go in Greece you will find a cat...Cats are the punctuation in Greek life...During their catnaps they dream of the days when they were worshipped by the ancient Egyptians and didn't have to rely on the kindness of strangers for food." (The book is still available--for $10-- on Amazon or  by clicking on the book cover to the right.)

Many of the cats in the book were photographed on the island of Hydra, including Vasili, the cat on the cover, who dreamed of jumping on one of the boats in the harbor of Hydra and sailing away to see the world.

On a recent trip back to the island of Hydra, I was curious to see if the economic crisis in Greece had affected the island's feline population.  The harbor cats were there, as numerous as always.  They were gathered to greet the tourists, patiently waiting under the taverna tables for handouts, and agilely avoiding being trampled by the donkeys in the harbor, who are the only form of transportation on the island.

Every time I'd comment that the Hydra cats seemed thinner than before, daughter Eleni would point out a fat cat who clearly enjoyed a regular meal schedule.  (Some of the Greek islands, including Crete, have  organizations which collect contributions to help with the spaying and care of the island's feral cat population.  As far as I know, Hydra does not.)

On many Greek islands the cats have become so numerous and so popular that they are now featured on touristic items like carrier bags.

The  best fed and happiest cats on the island are, of course,  house pets and store cats.

The harbor cats have a harder life, but they regularly greet the fishing boats as they come in in the morning, hoping for scraps when fish are cleaned.  They also keep an eye on the private boats anchored in the harbor-- to the point of mastering tightrope walking, if it will win a tasty bite.

Even the wildest of the feral cats, when the sun begins to set, have to stop a moment and wonder at the beauty of their island, and take a moment to wish for good hunting and a full stomach tomorrow.