Clowder

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July 26, 2018 6PM

~Clowder: a group, collection, or cluster of cats~

Tessa and Tessa have teamed up to bring you a truly purrfect event. 

Cats have taken over the planet. Silly cat videos flood our screens, and cute cat memorabilia fill our shops. At the same time, felines are flooding shelters with unwanted kittens and filling them to max capacity. This show will aim to bring awareness to cat issues and raise money for CARES, a local cat shelter in need.

Tessa Lee Dumanski (Tessa Lee Designs) is a BFA graduate, local artist, and cat enthusiast residing in Vancouver, B.C. Her illustrative work combines her passion for cats, unique imagery and playful patterns to create fun and quirky designs. Tessa draws inspiration daily from her two tabby cats, Dexter and Daisy, and is fascinated by their natural ability to find comfort in the oddest places. Whether it’s in a floral arrangement, cacti pot, fruit bowl or the best seat in the house, you’ll be able to spot Tessa’s distinctive feline characters cozying in with immense cattitude.

Tessa Reed (Tessaramics) is a recent graduate of Emily Carr University, working towards a career as a full time potter. Tessa creates functional pottery decorated with fabulous felines. Having worked at Catfé (the cat café in Vancouver), Tessa loves to illustrate caricatures of these quirky cats on mugs, pins, and other ceramic surfaces.

The worldwide feline population is increasing at an unhealthy rate due to owners neglecting to spay/neuter their cats, keeping their felines indoors, and using proper identification such as tattoo or microchip. Adding to this, over 80% of Vancouver’s rental housing does not allow pets, leaving owners scrambling to find suitable housing. Shelters are struggling to keep up with the number of felines that enter their doors daily. While many are kittens, it is not uncommon for them to receive abandoned elderly cats left behind by their families. The unfortunate and lackluster attitude towards felines and struggling local shelters is what fuels our show proposal entitled Clowder.