Exhibition Information
Exhibition Dates:
Framations Art Gallery April 1 - April 6, 2008
Ron Berg Gallery April 1 - April 6, 2008
State Capitol Building, Jefferson City April 8, 2008
Click here to take the online tour of the
Puppies are Biodegradable exhibit online
About the Show:
Unspeakable violence is taking place in Puppy Mills. This show consists of original artwork created especially in support of the cause. The range of artists reflects the diversity of art practices, and unites them into one theme: They give voice to the tortured lives of thousands of dogs. Artist statements accompany each piece and add another dimension to this provocative and compelling exhibit.
Inspired by the original exhibit located in Pennsylvania, the exhibition at Framations Art Gallery will include 10 pieces from the original show along with dozens of pieces created for this show by Metro St Louis Area Artists. The Ron Berg Gallery in Kansas City will host a similar exhibition running concurrently with 10 pieces from the original show along with dozens of pieces created for the exhibit by Metro Kansas City Area Artists.
At the conclusion of the week long multi-city exhibition, both exhibits will travel to Jefferson City, MO where it will be shown at the Missouri State Capitol Building for Alliance's Humane Day at the Capitol.
The St Louis exhibition is sponsored by Framations Art Gallery with proceeds donated to the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation to help enact laws in the state of Missouri to end & prevent such cruelties from occuring in Missouri. Admission to the exhibit is free except during the event reception. Event Reception admission is $10.00 with all admission fees donated to the Alliance. 50% of all "Puppies are Biodegradable" exhibit sales will be donated to the Missouri Alliance. During the Event reception, 20% of all other art sales will also be donated to the Missouri Alliance.
Addressing various audiences simultaneously, Puppies are Biodegradable(tm) along with the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation, seek to provide access, education and awareness to foster change, and bring to an end the suffering of thousands of animals.
|
 |
|
Many people do not know what a puppy mill is, or how cruelly the dogs in these facilities are treated. Only through education and information can we begin to end their suffering.
Click to learn more about Puppy Mills!
The Story behind the show:
On January 11, 2005, a disturbing article appeared in The New Era, a Lancaster County newspaper located in Pennsylvania. John Spidaliere reported on a meeting of the West Hempfield Township Zoning Board where a farmer, Henry U. Stoltzfus, was applying for a permit to build a dog breeding facility in Lancaster County. David Zimmerman, a representative of the Professional Pet Breeders Association, spoke on behalf of Stoltzfus. Zimmerman and others from this association often guide farmers hoping to build high volume dog breeding kennels through the local zoning board process.
Concerned that Stoltzfus was building a "puppy mill" on his property, a neighbor asked Zimmerman what would happen to Stoltzfus's puppies if they are not sold. Zimmerman replied that the puppies would be killed...and that unsold dogs would be exterminated, composted and spread as fertilizer on fields. Zimmerman told the neighbor that they would be "left to rot" and that "they are biodegradable."
In Pennsylvania some may think puppies are biodegradable, but this horrifying practice is inhumane and cannot be permitted to continue. It is absolutely appaling how often these innocent puppies are "exterminated." Older dogs who can no longer reproduce very often share the same fate. It is a ghastly ending to a tortured life.
It's also not just puppies that feel the dramatic effects of puppy mills. Some puppy mills dispose of "exterminated" dogs by dumping them in crop fields to fertilize crops. Excessive dog waste gets the same treatment sometimes as well. Farmers will mix dog feces with lime and redworms and assume the risk of disease is gone. Dog feces carries worms that can cause blindness and other serious illnesses to humans, and the lime and redworms do nothing to eliminate them. The waste also could seep into ground water wells and contaminate water supplies. Both animals and humans suffer from these atrocious puppy mill farms.
Puppies are Biodegradable (View the some of the original exhibition pieces online!)
It is the great shame of our country that in the USA..... puppies are biodegradable. By educating the general public about the day -to -day suffering of the thousands of puppies and dogs coming from puppy mills & working with our Legislators, we hope to change the future for these animals.
|
|
|
