FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OLD SCHOOL SQUARE AND CORNELL MUSEUM "GOING TO THE DOGS" THIS SUMMER

Premiere exhibition, "For the Love of Dogs," and special events celebrate "man's best friend."

May 14, 2007

DELRAY BEACH, FL - Old School Square is "going to the dogs" this summer! Playfully called the Dog Days of Summer, dog-themed special events and art will celebrate "man's best friend" all summer long.

The Cornell Museum will celebrate dogs through art in a premiere exhibition, "For the Love of Dogs," which opens June 14th and runs through September 8, 2007.

The museum is located on the Old School Square campus at 51 N. Swinton Avenue in downtown Delray Beach. Summer hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $6 general; $4 seniors and students (14-21); free for Old School Square members and children under 14.

The exhibit includes nearly 20 dog portraits by national and international artists, courtesy of the Dog Art Dealer Gallery in Charleston, SC and nearly 80 dog portraits and sculptures from local and regional artists complimented by "personality" portraits, photos and children's dog art from the local community.

"Our purpose in creating this exhibit is to showcase dogs of all shapes, sizes and breeds as beautiful animals and intelligent, loyal companions that give us unconditional love," said Cornell Museum Director, Gloria Rejune Adams. "We hope that the exhibit and special events, during our "Dog Days of Summer," will compel visitors to not only appreciate dogs, but also the people who spend countless hours rescuing, advocating, caring and finding homes for those that have been abandoned. We were overwhelmed with the community response to our local call for dog art, and visitors are going to be delighted by the results."

Some of the national and international artists participating in the exhibit include: Faith Cameron Semmes, internationally known for her personality oil portraits and a member of the American Society of Portrait Artists; Barrie Barnett, who is internationally known, works solely in pastels and is a Signature member Pastel Society of America; Joy Droeger Beckner, nationally known bronze sculptor and a member of the National Sculpture Society & Society of Animal Artists; Ron Burns, a nationally known fine artist & writer and Artist-in-Residence with the Humane Society of the United States; Beth Carlson, who is nationally recognized for her oil portraits and a member of Women Artists of the West and Bird Dog Museum Hall of Fame in Tennessee; Trophy Frederick, a nationally known bronze sculptor who has done work for the AKC Museum of the Dog, St. Louis, Miss. and Art of Animal Kingdom III in Vermont; Rachelle Oatman, an internationally known portrait artist, whose work has appeared on MTV Europe, in Harper's Bazaar, City Dog NYC; and Dan Margules, an award-winning filmmaker whose short film, BEGLEITER, a comical fantasy about an orphaned Rhodesian Ridgeback in search of a new master, was an Official Selection in the Delray Beach Film Festival this March and has been winning awards at film festivals from Alaska to Hawaii.

Special events during the "Dog Days of Summer" include the following:

• An Opening Reception on Thursday, June 21st from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., admission is $6 for general public and free for participating artists and Old School Square members. While we cannot allow the public to bring their dogs to this reception, we will have service and therapy dogs as our special guests!
• Friday Night Flicks outdoor movies on June 29th, July 27th and August 31st, featuring dog-themed movies starting at 8:30 p.m.; free admission. For everyone's movie enjoyment, we ask that all pets be left at home on movie nights.
• Doggie Duds and Fashon Stroll, Thursday, August 16th starting at 7 p.m. on the south lawn of Old School Square in front of the Cornell Museum. Dogs are welcome! The fashion stroll is free to spectators and open to public participation with a nominal entry fee, which will benefit a dog rescue charity. The Stroll theme is "Lookin' Cool During the Dog Days of Summer," and prizes will be awarded in several categories. The Cornell Museum will offer reduced admission all evening. This event is part of Delray's Art & Jazz on the Avenue, a downtown open house from 6 to 10 p.m. Atlantic Avenue will be closed to traffic between Swinton and the Intra-coastal.

Arts Education will also be an important part of the museum's Dog Days of Summer. The popular ART FUNdamentals program for summer camps, will feature an interactive museum tour, customized for each age group, followed by a related make-and-take, dog-themed art activity. Dog-themed student artwork, created especially for summer display in the Children's Gallery, will come from the Milagro Center, the art classes of Morikami Park and Plumosa Elementary Schools, and Trinity Lutheran School, all in Delray Beach.

Additionally, the museum will be working with a local humane society to bring in a program that teaches children how to safely and kindly interact with pets.

The Cornell Museum of Art and History, part of the Old School Square Cultural Arts Center, is housed in the restored 1913 Delray Elementary building. In addition to regional, national and international exhibits of fine art, craft and American culture, the museum presents art programs for adults and children, artist showcases and demonstrations. "For the Love of Dogs" is sponsored in part by BocaDog Magazine. The Cornell Museum also receives program support from the Palm Beach County Tourist Development Council, the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Old School Square is a National Historic Site and Florida Cultural Institution also housing the Crest Theatre (in the restored 1925 high school building), a restored 1926 gymnasium, and an outdoor entertainment pavilion. In addition to providing museum, theatre and arts education programs for adults and children, the center serves as a venue for community, corporate, private and media events. For information on performances, exhibits, classes or rentals, call 561.243.7922 or visit www.oldschool.org.

BEGLEITER is scheduled to screen with other dog-related short films continuously all day, every day of this exhibit.

Additional Information:
"Begleiter" - happy-the-dog.com
Dog Art Dealer Gallery - dogartdealer.com
Old School Square - oldschool.org
Delray Beach Film Festival - dbff.us
BocaDog Magazine - bocadogmagazine.com