February is a red-letter month in the dog fancy because of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (and we’ll be there!), but this February will be special for another reason: The AKC Museum of the Dog will open in New York City on February 8th in the same building as the AKC’s headquarters situated on the fifth floor.
The museum, which had been located in Queeny Park in St. Louis County, Missouri for the several decades, houses one of the world’s largest collections of canine fine art. In essence, however, the museum is “going home.” It first opened its doors in Manhattan in 1982, but as the collection grew, museum officials recognized a need for bigger digs and found it at Jarville House in Queeny Park.
The new museum has two floors of modern and interactive elements that help showcase approximately 1,700 or so works of canine art created by dog artists such as Maud Earl, Sir Edwin Landseer, and Arthur Wardle. It also includes a library and a fun toy, the “Find Your Match” kiosk that takes your photo and reveals which AKC breed most resembles you. A “Meet the Breeds” touchscreen table lets visitors explore the traits and history of a particular breed. Visitors can also download an app that serves as a virtual tour guide.
CBS did a quick interview with Alan Fausel to learn more about the museum which you can see in the video below:
There’ll be no mistaking the building from the outside. An eight foot wire sculpture of a Labrador Retriever that lights up will be visible from the street, and silhouettes of dogs will be seen “walking” above the museum entry (as seen in the image here).
A number of AKC breed and all-breed Clubs pledged support to further the mission of supporting and educating the public about purebred dogs, and the sport of pure-bred dogs (you can see those supporters here). We think this will be a “must visit” during Westminster week.