This past spring, Artists Creating Together provided two new unique and fun programs for adults: Paint Your Pet and Dress Your Pet. These titles say it all! In Dress Your Pet, ACT Teaching Artist Sarah Lorenz taught students how to take simple designs and turn them into glamorous and outrageous garments that pets could actually wear! Students weren’t afraid to get creative in this class, fabricating everything from top hats to tutus! For this program, ACT partnered with local assistance dogs nonprofit, Paws With A Cause. PAWS generously brought dogs to the ACT studio so students could model their creations. In addition, they learned all about how assistance dogs are trained and provided to those in need.
In Paint Your Pet, local professional artist Erick Picardo incorporated his vibrant and colorful painting style to teach students basic animal drawing and painting techniques. Students then created portraits of their favorite animal or pet. They even got to work with live models, as PAWS brought along more dogs for students to view as inspiration for their pieces. They were joined alongside Bissell employees, who brought in two Great Danes! The class even came together to create a collaborative painting of a dog using acrylic and mixed media.
Both of these programs cumulated in a group showcase in May. Friends and family gathered to see the displayed paintings from Paint Your Pet before taking their seats around the red carpet rolled out in the center of the room. The ACT studio was transformed into a runway worthy of the Met Gala as students walked down the red carpet alongside the dogs wearing their creations! Students and four-legged friends alike came out of their shells as they showed off their hard work with pride. Many thanks to Paws With a Cause, as well as the teaching artists who made these programs possible!