Cat-Themed Art Show To Raise Funds For Friends Of Strays TNVR Program

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Feline-inspired works by artists across the Tampa Bay area — and even as far as Orlando and New Orleans — are on display at Bayboro Brewing through May 1.

The 28 participating artists include Chad Mize, BASK and Miss Crit.

At least 40 percent of sales from the “CATerwalls” art exhibit will benefit Meow Now, the trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR) program operated by the Friends of Strays. Some artists have also chosen to donate up to 100 percent of their sales to the nonprofit no-kill animal shelter, curator James Hartzell told Patch.

There will be an artist meet-and-greet on Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m., followed by an early-bird dance party hosted by DJ for Paws from 4 to 8 p.m. A $10 suggested donation for the dance party will also be donated to Friends of Strays.

“Caterwalls” is the brainchild of DJ for Paws founder, Linda Bak, and her wife, graphic artist Sharie Lesniak. Bak worked in fundraising part-time for the organization, and the couple also volunteered for the nonprofit.

They brought the idea to Hartzell, who regularly curates art shows at the St. Petersburg brewery, and the three started organizing the fundraiser.

Hartzell also knows the Friends of Strays well after reaching out to its Meow Now program late last year when his 9-year-old cat, Cecil, started getting into scraps with a feral neighborhood cat.

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He rented a cage from the organization to trap the outdoor cat and had him neutered and vaccinated. Through the TNVR program, cats are also assessed to determine whether they could be an adoptable pet.

Ultimately, though, the cat Hartzell trapped and brought in was a bit too feral and was reintroduced to the neighborhood.

“After he was fixed, his testosterone was lower, though,” he said. “So, they had less frequent fights and they’re mostly just yelling matches.”

Sharing his experience, Hartzell noted that many people might not realize that Friends of Strays offers a TNVR program. He’s hopeful that “CATerwalls” art show will help spread the word about the organization and its services.

“We want to educate people. There are very few places that do those types of services, where you can rent a cage and bring an animal in,” he said. “It really helps with feral colonies of cats and keeping numbers manageable … We want to raise awareness that Friends of Strays exists and if you need help like that, they’re there for you.”

When they put out a call for artists, they were overwhelmed by the response.

Hartzell quickly realized there was a deep connection between artists and cats.

“It’s something I never quite realized before. They’re near and dear to many of the artists in the show,” he said, adding, “We got to the point where we had to limit the number of artists. More people wanted to be involved than we had panels and wall space.”

They’ve received a range of pieces for the show.

“Many have done paintings of their own cats, which is super sweet,” Hartzell said.

A number of pieces showcase black cats.

“We want to flip the energy of back cats being bad luck or statistically unadoptable,” he said. There’s a lot of love for the black cats in our show.”

Other artists went a different route, opting to depict “big cats - a jaguar, an ocelot, a tiger,” which makes sense, he said. “Kind of like dogs evolved from wolves. I feel like the house cat has the prey instinct of a lion.”

And while most of the works are two-dimensional paintings, there are two 3D pieces - a sculptural bust of a cat coming off the wall made by the artist Samz using 5,000 felt balls and a wire sculpture, “Zoomies,” by Judy Vienneau that represent her three cats.

In addition to Sunday’s opening reception and dance party, a closing event for “Caterwalls” is planned at Bayboro on April 26, 3 to 7 p.m.