Country Dog Gentlemen meets Urban Dog Gentleman at The Oakland Museum of California

When the Arts collide.

We were thrilled when The Oakland Museum of California asked Canine Circus School to a be a part of the Roy de Forest retrospective, Of Dogs and Other People: The Art of Roy de Forest.  This exhibition is full of magical worlds swirling with fantastical scenes set in landscapes of colorful motifs and whimsical animals most of which are dogs. Lots and lots of glorious dogs. OMCA incorporated listening stations with interpretations of the work from different points of view; ranging from a horticulturist to ten year old sword swallower to a professional dog trainer.

Of course this is where our very own Francis Metcalf enters into the picture. Many may know Francis as the MasterofHounds and the Ring Leader at Canine Circus School.  But Francis is also an artist and a musician.  Francis was given a scholarship to study at The School of the Arts Institute of Chicago where he spent most of his time in the basement of The Art Museum of Chicago, sculpting and ticking endless hours away absorbed in the sound labs. In his off time he played bass in a group made up of fellow art students. Little did the fine folks at OMCA know that Francis and Roy de Forest have more than just a lifelong love of dogs in common, but also an insatiable love of art and the magical worlds where art and dogs intersect.

(pictured below lower left: Francis Metcalf in the OMCA studio, recording his POV of Roy de Forest’s painting, Country Dog Gentlemen pictured below upper right: Francis with Chomsky balancing a ball on her head and Balzac sitting pretty.) Also the Canine Circus School logos were drawn by Francis.

 

Francis with Chomsky balancing ball and Balzac sitting pretty.

Francis in OMCA studio recording POV of Roy de Forest’s, Country Dog Gentleman.

The painting below is by Roy de Forest, entitled Country Dog Gentlemen,1972. This is the the piece that Francis recorded his point of view.

We are proud to be a part of this first full career retrospective of Roy de Forest. We hope you can go and let yourself get lost in the magical world he created through his magnificent canvases. The exhibition Of Dogs and Other People: The Art of Roy de Forest is at OMCA now through August 20, 2017.

Likewise, we hope you can join us at Canine Circus School: The Art School for Dogs at some point in the near future.

 Check out our current schedule here.

 

Of Trick Dogs and Time Travelers

 

When I was a kid in the 1970’s my parents brought me to Washington Square park in Manhattan.  There were people playing music, juggling, walking on tightropes, playing chess, riding unicycles, and just hanging out.

Photos of Washington square park from the 50’s 60’s and 70’s.

It made a big impression on me. Adults were doing fun things, not just kids stuff though, they were doing activities that took great skill.  After I grew up and went back to New York in the 1990’s,  I discovered that scene was replaced with guys with coiffed hair and tailored suits. Where were the beatnik banjo players, where were the Frisbee players, where was the magic?

The big cities are always magical places, the land where large urban populations grow is  blessed with advantages such as protected harbors and connected trade routes.  These areas soon give rise to winding market places and cobbled plazas where interesting things from around the world mingle with the thoughts of a well traveled citizenry.   Like plants and animals, magic comes and goes based on the health of the environment.  Once the environment that shaped an organism disappears that creature goes with it.  I’m afraid magic has become scared and is hiding from us, nervous of the hum of industry and distracted by the glimmer of technology.

Because of this, certain people and animals have felt the urge to journey back to retrieve the magic we have lost along the way.  You might be one who has felt the call.  Often the first sign is that a beautiful thing has entered your life and captivated you.  If it’s an old violin that your great grandmother once played then there are places to learn what that fiddle has to teach you, but if it is a dog that has captivated your heart then Canine Circus School is here to guide you.

H. Bosch “The Conjurer” 1496. Depicting an early trick dog.

Canine Circus School is located just seven miles from San Francisco in the East Bay.  Like many of the best secrets we are hidden in plain sight.  Once you enter our gates you will find a place that evokes a feeling of possibility, a place that suspends time just long enough to catch a glimpse of another reality.  We built our school with the thought that the environment affects the learning process.  Joseph Campbell’s, A Hero’s Journey is one of the inspirations for our landscape design. Campbell tells of the secret framework behind all great stories:  first we feel a call to adventure, then we experience a refusal to follow that call, but our second thoughts fade away and we proceed with the adventure.  Along the journey we pass guardians, meet teachers, confront our shadow self and finally return to the normal world with a new sense of power and knowledge. We have tried to manifest this sequence into our landscape design that leads to the ring.

Don’t worry we don’t discuss airy fairy stuff with you, the inspiration of the Hero’s Journey will reveal itself to those interested. The interpretation is up to you to indulge in or not, but one thing is for sure this postage stamp of land is built on truly magical soil nestled between the beautiful cities of San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland.  An adventure awaits you behind our gates that will bring you closer to another species.  Along the journey we will train you to amaze your friends and neighbors. By doing this  you will help to repopulate the world with magic and make your dog smarter, healthier, and better adapted to the urban environment.

We hope you can join us.  Here’s our current class schedule.