NEW! HOWL Digital Photo Album
If you missed our recent show, HOWL: The Art &History of Pets, don't fret! Even if you did visit the MAH to take in the sights and sounds of this amazing show, you have a chance to relive it. Our guest curator, Sally Iverson, created a digital photo album of some of the archival images from the show. Iverson also provided some poignant reflections on the experience of putting the show together.
From the Curator
Hello! I am Sally Iverson and I'm honored to be the guest curator of this joyful exhibit, HOWL: The Art & History of Pets at the MAH!
It all began when I was working in the archives, perusing old photos for my Davenport history book project back in 2019. Whenever we came across photos with furry companions in them, well we kinda gushed over them a bit and then I moved on, focusing on the task at hand at the time, my research on Davenport. But the images and furry faces from the past haunted me. This bond between human and animal, the kinship between us, the "then and now", well, I knew this was a future project that needed to see the light of day, and the idea to really dig deeper into the MAH's archives took root and like a dog with a bone... would not let go.
As the project progressed, we decided to blend the archival photos with the MAH's extensive art collection. This alchemy swirled together with other elements, such as sound, (a comforting "purring chair") and a writing nook, helped tie the exhibit together. HOWL was a chance to see some of the MAH's fantastic art collection and archives up-close and, I'm hoping that it provided a respite, a little time for visitors to reflect on their own pet experiences. There was also a short history lesson within the exhibit as guests learned about a long-forgotten pet cemetery in Santa Cruz county, dating back to the early 1930's, and a special military hero buried there.