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Architecture
Unleashed
The Oakland Museum of California Dog Haus Exhibit
Barbara Denzer
Last spring
the Oakland Museum of California, located near Lake Merrit
in downtown Oakland, California, joined forces with the Oakland
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) to
stage a doghouse design contest for members of the region's
architectural community. Planned to celebrate the link between
people and their "best friends," the contest's rules specified
that the entrants must address the themes of canine care and
safety as well as exhibit original architecture and design.
The result
was "DogHaus - Architecture Unleashed," an exhibit of doghouses
commissioned by the museum. A panel of judges - including
two architects, the senior editor of Sunset Magazine, and
the president of the Oakland SPCA - selected 24 of the 48
plans submitted to the contest, and 20 of the selected architects
agreed to construct their designs for display at the museum.
The designs,
suited to the character and needs of their proposed canine
inhabitants, are visually delightful. Color, line, form, function,
texture and whimsy abound in every doghouse. Houses range
from the avant-garde style of Ann Stamper's "Chapeaux Chateau,"
a black-and-white beret-like structure with bright red cushions
inside - made for a poodle, of course - to the more traditional
architecture of Doug Couper's "English Country House for a
Pug."
Accompanying
the unique doghouses were a series of related educational
and entertaining events, designed to introduce people to different
styles of architecture while celebrating the link between
people and their dogs. Shirleen Schermerhorn, spokesperson
for the museum, said that the organization received "more
response and attention for the Dog Haus showing than any other
exhibit this year," including an article in Forbes magazine
and other media coverage.
The exhibit's
grand finale was a gala auction of the winning doghouses that
raised money for the SPCA and the museum. On a warm, breezy
Saturday in October, the doghouses were moved for the auction
to a grassy area nestled among the terraces, patios, sculpture
gardens and ponds of the museum's delightfully landscaped
grounds, providing a perfect setting for the public to view
and appreciate the innovative doghouses.
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First
Place
"A
Dog House for Tatters"
by Aleksander Baharlo
and Chris Humann
Second
Place
"A
House for the Doggie Lama - Shelter for a Tibetan Terrier"
by Gary Parsons
Honorable
Mention
"The
Doghouses of Madison County"
by Robert Pennell
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www.dogandkennel.com
