Two of Fort Worth’s most prominent arts organizations — the Fort Worth Botanic Garden/Botanic Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) and the Kimbell Museum of Art — are hosting “dog days” events this month. What a time to be a pup!
The Fort Worth Botanic Garden/BRIT (3220 Botanic Garden Blvd, 817-463-4160) has hosted its Dog Days event three weekends this year and has two more coming up: 8am-1pm Sat-Sun and 8am-5pm Sat-Sun, Nov 19-20.
“Fort Worth dog lovers can give their canines a new ‘leash’ on life in a beautiful outdoor setting,” said Patrick Newman, FWBG/BRIT CEO/president and the proud owner of two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Charlie and Milo.
The garden invites guests to bring their four-legged friends for a day of frolicking around the 120-acre campus, with watering stations throughout the park.
Who’s a good dog? Well, yours if they follow the rules. First, all dogs must be at least 4 months old, be current on their vaccinations, and be on a leash. Secondly, any waste must be bagged and placed in trash receptacles. To encourage this, the garden will have free pooper-scooper bags available. And, finally, dogs must be socialized and well-behaved. (If your dog is acting aggressively, you and your pet will be asked to leave.)
FWBG/BRIT members receive free admission and a complimentary bandana for each doggo they bring. Nonmember tickets are $12 per human. Every dog pays $5 for admission, but where do they keep their wallet? Yes. I’ve got jokes. For more information and tickets, visit BRIT.org.
Courtesy Kimbell Art Museum
Then on Fri, Aug 26, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm, the Kimbell Art Museum (3333 Camp Bowie Blvd, 817-332-8451) hosts Kimbell Dog Day in honor of its newest acquisition, “Dog Guarding a Basket of Grapes” (1836) by Austria’s Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller. Coinciding with #NationalDogDay, this free community event invites art lovers and their four-legged friends for dog-friendly activities on the Kimbell lawn. Download your free tickets at KimbellArt.org.
Visitors and their dogs can take a docent-led outdoor architecture tour of the Louis I. Khan Building and the Renzo Piano Pavilion. Drinks will be available for purchase at an outdoor bar. Local vendors MELT and Pelican SnoBalls will serve frozen treats for humans and canines. Sam the Artist will offer free custom pet portraits, as supplies last. Visitors can also participate in artmaking activities with Kimbell educators on the Kahn porticos.
At 6:30pm, the Best in Show Parade & Awards conclude the evening. Local artist Nancy Lamb, social-media personality Laura Lape, and Tony Green, host of Hello, I’m Tony Green and On the Same Page, will be the celebrity judges for a dog contest. Award categories are 1.) the dog that looks most like the new acquisition, 2.) the dog with the best costume, 3.) the largest dog, and 4.) the smallest dog.
Not unlike the event at FWBG/BRIT, there are some rules for Fido to follow. Only service animals are permitted in museum buildings. All dogs must remain on a leash at all times. Dog owners must pick up after their pets. A water and cooling station will be available outside for dogs and dog owners.
While “Dog Guarding a Basket of Grapes” will be on view for the first time this evening inside the Kahn Building, you can view it at any time as it will be on permanent display. To maximize your canine evening out, perhaps you and your human companion can take turns dog-sitting while you each sneak a peek. That way, you can also enjoy the animal-themed scavenger hunt through the galleries, where visitors will try to find all the dogs on view in works across the permanent collection. Those who complete the scavenger hunt will receive a special prize, as supplies last.
Read more animal-related stories from this week’s Creature Comforts edition in Ate Days A Week, Living Local, Night & Day, and Static, plus our Feature Story. To see Creature Comforts cover to cover in a flipbook format, click here.
