The City of Greenville recently announced the opening of The Big Dog Show, a collection of 20 corten steel sculptures by Boston-based artist Dale Rogers.
The sculptures are on exhibit in Cleveland Park at the former Cleveland Park Stables site on Woodland Way and on Main Street at ONE City Plaza and RiverPlace. They will remain in Greenville until July 25.
Rogers began his welding career in 2002, designing three-dimensional sculptures in various sizes. The popularity of his American Dog sculpture design inspired Rogers to create the large-scale temporary exhibit, The Big Dog Show, to provide people across the country with the opportunity to experience public art.
To date, The Big Dog Show has been featured in 22 shows in 11 different cities across the United States. Greenville will be the first city in the Carolinas to host the exhibition, which is expected to draw visitors from across the region.
Each American Dog stands eight feet high and 10 feet long. In addition to the individual sculptures, the exhibition also features a rendition of the original design, Dog, Cat, Bird.
Rogers first came to the City of Greenville’s attention at the 2021 Artisphere festival, where he placed first in the three-dimensional art category. Artisphere is sponsoring a sculpture in the exhibition. According to Artisphere President and CEO Kerry Murphy, The Big Dog Show speaks to Greenville’s love of outdoor culture and the prioritization of public art as a vehicle for creativity, discussion and fun.
“We are honored to welcome Artisphere award winner Dale Rogers back to Greenville and to join cities such as Phoenix, AZ, Orlando, FL and Cincinnati, OH as the host of this dynamic collection,” said Murphy. “Public art, when woven into a community’s fabric, either temporarily or permanently, adds to the vibrancy of the city.”
In the coming months, the City will host a number of events in conjunction with the exhibition, including:
- “The Best in Show,” an exhibit spanning two weekends that allows sponsors to outfit individual sculptures with artistic variations of dog collars
- K-9 demonstrations, in partnership with the Greenville Police Department
- Adoption days, in partnership with Greenville County Animal Care. The organization is a beneficiary of the exhibition and the public can donate to the organization at the Kissing Dogssculpture in Cleveland Park using a QR code.
For more information about The Big Dog Show, including a complete schedule of events, visit greenvillesc.gov/thebigdogshow and on social media @gvilleevents.
Prepared by the City of Greenville.