Terrible cruelty inspires fierce, powerful artwork

A detail from Myrna C. Williams’ “Save The Dogs, 2009” is shown hanging at An Beal Bocht Café. Photos by Claudio Papapietro

By Kate Pastor

Two customers recently walked into An Bael Bocht Café. It didn’t take long before one turned right around and stormed out. While not everyone walks out after seeing the paintings that comprise “Messy Dogs: Michael Vicks dogs,” reactions are likely to be extreme.

Pat Gilheany, who coordinates events at the café, says he’s seen a wide range of responses since he started to display Myrna C. Williams’ work there.

The exhibition of mostly oil paintings on canvas confronts dog abuse for sport, which Mr. Vick, once a professional football player, was convicted of.

Canines in some pictures snarl and bite each other or are chained and mistreated. In other paintings they are curled up in the sunlight or holding a flower between their teeth. And in all of the pictures — more than a dozen — their eyes look soft and kind.

“We have people here who are very upset and walk out because of this,” Mr. Gilheany said.

“We have other people who love it because of what it says.” Two women who came to the café with their children exemplified the response the show is getting. One was repulsed and protective of her child, while the other was glad animal abuse was being exposed through art.

“They had a screaming match here over it,” said Mr. Gilheany.

Heated discussions like these are why he thinks the exhibit is perfect for the café.

“The thing that we try to do is have art that’s good. Unusual,” he said, as if the two concepts were one and the same. He said he wants exhibits that have some social significance and spark debate.

That’s why when he saw Ms. Williams’ work displayed at a gallery in Williamsburg, he asked if she might be interested in having her work hang on the walls in the back room of the café.

Ms. Williams outrage at dog abuse, especially for sport or money, fuels her work, An Bael Bocht’s proprietor said.

“She knows they’re not gonna sell. She just did it because she wants to get the word out,” said Mr. Gilheany.

He calls depictions of dogs in her earlier work “more whimsical.” Some of those paintings are displayed in contrast to the more disturbing images.

A Sports Illustrated magazine with a story about Michael Vick on the cover hangs under one of her more gruesome paintings.

People come to the dog-friendly bar and sit outside with their animals.

“They all love it,” Mr. Gilheany said of the back room collection.

The exhibit is on display until Tuesday, April 7.

This is part of the March 26, 2009 online edition of The Riverdale Press.

Have an opinion on this matter? We'd like to hear from you. Click here.