Art for Clowder, a show at the James Black Gallery this week.
As you may (or may not) know, Vancouver’s first Meowfest is coming up this Sunday, July 29.
But you can celebrate what is turning into The Week of the Cat today by checking out a new exhibit, Clowder (“a cluster of cats”), on now at the James Black Gallery, 114 E. 6th Ave.
The free art show, which runs until July 29 (from 12-5 p.m., with an opening reception July 26 from 7-10 p.m.), is aimed at bringing awareness to cat issues and raise money for CARES, a local cat shelter.
Two Vancouverites, Tessa Lee Dumanski and Tessa Reed, are behind Clowder.
According to her bio, Dumanski (Tessa Lee Designs) “is a BFA graduate, local artist, and cat enthusiast residing in Vancouver, B.C. Her illustrative work combines her passion for cats, unique imagery and playful patterns to create fun and quirky designs. Tessa draws inspiration daily from her two tabby cats, Dexter and Daisy, and is fascinated by their natural ability to find comfort in the oddest places. Whether it’s in a floral arrangement, cacti pot, fruit bowl or the best seat in the house, you’ll be able to spot Tessa’s distinctive feline characters cozying in with immense cattitude.”
Nala Cat has over 3m followers on Instagram. She’s a guest at Vancouver’s inaugural Meowfest July 29.
Reed (Tessaramics) is a recent graduate of Emily Carr University. She “creates functional pottery decorated with fabulous felines. Having worked at Catfé (the cat café in Vancouver), Tessa loves to illustrate caricatures of these quirky cats on mugs, pins, and other ceramic surfaces.”
And for those of us who can’t get enough of those crazy felines, Meowfest is described by organizer meowbox as “a global celebration for cat lovers… This festival is the first of its kind to come to Canada’s West Coast.” Meowfest takes place at the Roundhouse (181 Roundhouse Mews) in Yaletown on Sunday July 29 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.. It includes celebrity cats (like Nala and Benben) food trucks, speakers, entertainment, shopping, and more. Proceeds go to the BCSPCA and other not-for-profit cat organizations. For more info visit meowfest.com.
