Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Giant Pink Fuzzy Dog Lets Kids Cuddle Up to Art

By Andrea Swalec | March 15, 2012 1:11pm

HUDSON SQUARE — The expanded Children's Museum of the Arts on Charlton Street prides itself on bringing art to life for kids, and tykes around the city will soon have a new work to explore: a fuzzy, 11-foot-tall dog sculpture whose hot pink hair museum visitors can brush with giant combs. 

The 18-foot-wide pup by Japanese artist Misaki Kawai is the star of the exhibition "Love from Mt. Pom Pom," which will open Saturday at noon, when museum staff will ring bells and throw confetti.

DNAinfo got a sneak peek of the exhibition, which includes furniture in the shape of snakes and human bodies, as it was being installed. 

"Kids are already in love with the dog," CMA staff member Jess Peterson said. 

Children threw confetti at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Children's Museum of the Arts on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011.
Children threw confetti at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Children's Museum of the Arts on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011.
View Full Caption
Children's Museum of the Arts/Junenoire Mitchell

Curator Prescott Trudeau said Kawai's exhibition — whose name stems from the onomatopoetic Japanese word "pom," meaning "little explosion" — at the 103 Charlton St. museum helps make art accessible to kids. 

"This has the potential to teach kids that being able to draw perfectly is not as important as being able to draw creatively," he said. "We loved the humor, playfulness and aesthetic." 

Kawai arrived in New York in December, spent weeks observing how children interact with the CMA and began work on her show in January, according to a video on the making of the exhibition. 

"Love From Mt. Pom Pom" will be on display through June 10. Once the show closes, its works will be sold on the arts website Paddle 8. Information on the potential cost of the giant dog was not immediately available.