They Choose You: A Mixer for Adoptable Cats and People!

Saturday, November 22, 2014 – Sunday, November 23rd, 2014

  • Time: 10:00am – 5:00pm
  • Location: Artscape Youngplace, Flex Studio #107
  • Address: 180 Shaw Street, Toronto, ON, Canada (map)
  • All Ages: Yes
  • Accessibility: Wheelchair Accessible, Gender-neutral Washrooms

They Choose You is a collaborative art event and ephemeral art installation created by rescue cats and humans in a gallery space over one weekend in Toronto, November 22-23, 2014. Essentially, it is a mixer for rescue cats to connect with people! All cats will be from Toronto Cat Rescue and we will have volunteers from the organization to oversee the adoption process. I work as a volunteer adoption screener during adopt-a-thon events in Toronto and I am also a visual artist.

This project is art as activism, sincere and absurd at the same time, with a motive somewhere between a cat lady’s dream and a creative way to build community. The lives of the cats are intertwined with the humans who inhabit the same city, allowing for an experiential connection in a shared space, beyond the walls of the animal shelter.

What can we learn from co-existing with other species? How can a life lived with animal companions alter our perspective and interactions in contemporary life? This event considers these questions and seeks to create an open space where visitors may interact with cats and kittens through play and touch. Such encounters carry the potential for deep connections between non-human ‘others’ and us, existing together in the present moment.

Hanging out with the cats in the gallery space is free! Children must be accompanied by an adult.

There will be lots of cat-friendly art which the cats can interact with: cat climbers, scratching posts, black cat sculptures, cat craft-making and cat people! I have started a Facebook page and an Indiegogo Campaign to support and draw attention to this event.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/cats-they-choose-you

https://www.facebook.com/events/688574914559790/

There will also be crafts! Artist Emily Gove has organized a Cat Crafternoon in the studio space from 1-4 pm on Sunday, November 23, where participants can make three cat-related projects for $25, while in the company of the cats! All materials are included. Registration is required with Emily via email: emily.gove@gmail.com.

« Dinner & Film Screening of Mosaic

Zine Workshop (Trans & Queer Themes) »