Art is a powerful medium because of its powerful ability to communicate. This is an exhibit worth checking out as it raises awareness to henious animal cruelty in the form of puppy mills - and Pennsylvania is a champ in this category of animal abuse:
At the end of country lanes, behind tall fences, and inside picturesque barns lies Lancaster County's dirty little secret: thousands of purebred dogs - whose offspring sell for hundreds of dollars at pet stores in Philadelphia and elsewhere - living in Dickensian conditions: undersized wire cages; no exercise; minimal, if any, medical care.
Those images - well documented by undercover video and humane officers over the last 25 years - prompted animal lover and Old City gallery director Jennifer Yaron to stage what may be the first-ever exhibition dedicated to drawing attention to the plight of dogs in commercial kennels, known across the animal-welfare community as "puppy mills."
"We wanted to try to reach people through an artistic setting," said Yaron, cofounder of the FUEL Collection at 249 Arch St.
The exhibit, which opens tomorrow, is titled "Puppies Are Biodegradable" - inspired by comments made during a 2005 Lancaster County zoning board hearing when a dog breeder was asked what happens to unsold dogs.
He said they were "exterminated" and their carcasses spread over fields as fertilizer.
"They are biodegradable," he said.
Yaron said the title underscored the attitude of commercial breeders but also was cryptic enough to encourage readers to try to make sense of it.
"For some people, it evokes laughter, until they understand what it means," she said.
Inspired by the animal lovers around her - her mother, Harrise Yaron, and aunt, Jodi Goldberg - Yaron decided in spring to put together a show to raise awareness among Philadelphia-area residents who are pet-shop consumers but know nothing about the conditions under which the dogs are raised.
She received several hundred submissions, from which 40 were selected. Among the artists chosen are some who are deeply involved in animal welfare issues - Tammy Grimes, for instance, founder of the anti-chaining group Dogs Deserve Better - and others who had never heard of puppy mills before.
Philadelphia artist Jillian Kesselman created a digital image of an overall-clad farmer holding a headless dog upside down as puppies come tumbling out of it.
"Like a salt and pepper shaker," said Kesselman, 25, who was unaware of puppy-mill kennel conditions before being invited to submit her work.
"It was appalling, a nightmare," she said as she did research for her piece. "It was like a factory. Then, once their reproductive capacity is over, the dogs are disposed, dumped onto crops as fertilizer."
....Puppies Are Biodegradable"
"Puppies Are Biodegradable" is at FUEL, 249 Arch St., through July 30. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. A Pennsylvania SPCA Dog Adoption Day will be held July 21 from noon to 4 p.m. Information: 215-592-8400 or www.fuelcollection.com
Delicious
Digg
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
Technorati