The Dog Chapel

Neatorama ^ | May 2007 | Alex

[afraidfortherepublic]

Scroll down on the Divinely Designed Church entry for this bonus entry:

Stephen Huneck’s Dog Chapel, complete with statue of a man walking his dog

After his dogs (and loving wife!) helped him recover from a serious illness that doctors thought would kill him, artist Stephen Huneck decided to build a chapel in honor man’s best friend.

Huneck built the dog chapel on his mountain-top farm in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Inside, there are four pews with dog sculptures, a fantastic dog stained-glass window and other interesting dog-themed arts.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Stephen Huneck’s Dog Chapel, complete with statue of a man walking his dog

Who was the commentator (Will Rogers, perhaps) who said, "If there are no dogs in Heaven, I don't want to go there" ?

[afraidfortherepublic]

Correction: Will Rogers said, ‘If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.’

[ozark hilljilly]

Who was the commentator (Will Rogers, perhaps) who said, "If there are no dogs in Heaven, I don't want to go there" ?

LOL, my Dad once said that in his adult Sunday school class-caused quite a stir! : ) But I have to agree with it.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Another doggie ping

[the invisib1e hand]

oyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

[afraidfortherepublic]

I should have looked this up before, Stephan Huneck died last year by his own hand, and his widow has been accepting donations to keep the property taxes paid on his "Dog Mountain" home. He was a wonderful folk artist whose works have been made into several products that most of us are familiar with.

They held a retrospective of his work just this month. May he R.I.P.

[afraidfortherepublic]

From the Dog Chapel website:

With its dog-themed stained glass windows and hand-carved dog pews and sculptures, the Dog Chapel is more than just a place to remember and celebrate the companionship of canines. It is a majestic and one-of-a-kind work of art. Why did Vermont artist Stephen Huneck build the Dog Chapel?

The "wild idea" came to him shortly after he returned home with his wife and three dogs following a serious accident that left him suffering with Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome and in a coma for two months. At the Dog Chapel Web site, you can read the compelling story of how Huneck's illness and a near-death experience profoundly inspired him to show appreciation for basic things we often take for granted.

"I look at this chapel as the largest artwork of my life, and my most personal," stated Huneck.

Dogs were already a subject of interest to the artist, known for his whimsical wood sculptures, furniture and woodcut prints, and they came to dominate his works, which are exhibited and sold in a gallery on the Dog Chapel property.

In this close-up photo of one of the stained glass windows in Stephen Huneck's Dog Chapel, you'll see how dogs are celebrated in every detail of this captivating chapel.

While no regular services are held, visitors and their dogs are invited to pause inside the chapel. It's the perfect place to give thanks for all of those sloppy kisses, waiting-at-the-door greetings, barked alerts and shared walks in the woods and to forgive all of those muddy footprints on the kitchen floor and accidents on the carpet.

[left that other site]

I REALLY like the pews. :-)

[afraidfortherepublic]

www.nytimes.com/2010/02/01/arts/design/01huneck.html

Obituary

[afraidfortherepublic]

I, too, like the pews. This may be a better link to the obituary which is certainly worth reading. Very sad:

Stephan Huneck, artist of Dogs, is Dead at 61

[afraidfortherepublic]

Shucks! That one didn’t work. Use the first link I provided. It takes you to several obituaries. Click on the first one. There is a lot of information there about the chapel and the gallery — his life’s work. Very interesting.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Stephen Huneck and his wife, Gwen, in 2001, next to one of his works.

[Joe 6-pack]

WOOOF!

The Doggie Ping list is for FReepers who would like to be notified of threads relating to all things canid. If you would like to join the Doggie Ping Pack (or be unleashed from it), FReemail me.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Doggie Disneyland -- Stephan Huneck in happier times

This is a nice article. Worth reading.

[Bigg Red]

I understand his love of dogs, but I have a problem with making it look like one should worship dogs. I worship God.

[the OlLine Rebel]

I too. The guy’s stuff is cute, but the chapel as it appears to be from pix, is bordering on sacrilege.

[afraidfortherepublic]

If you read about him, I don't think it says anywhere that he advocated worshiping dogs. He just loved dogs and considered them one of God's great gifts to humankind.

[stuartcr]

Doesn’t look that way to me. Looks like a place to worship God with one’s dogs, not to worship dogs.

[stuartcr]

Why?

[afraidfortherepublic]

See #17. I think his chapel celebrates the bond between human and dog and throws a welcome mat out for furry friends. My church holds a blessing ceremony for all pets each Fall in conjunction with St. Francis’ Feast Day. I don’t think that it is sacriligious at all.

I remember one time, many years ago before air conditioning, the church doors were open during a service and a dog wandered in. The priest welcomed him and guided him to an usher who ushered him out. Nobody mminded.