Downtown Naperville is going to the dogs…
The summer sculptures were unleashed on Wednesday, kicking off the Dog Days of Summer.
Pack of pups around downtown
A pack of 25 painted pets is stationed along the sidewalks from now until September.
The theme was done once before in 2019, but this year’s collection features one purr-fect feline friend.
“We’ve done dogs before, and they were always a fan favorite, and so we thought, why not bring them back?” said Katie Wood, executive director of Downtown Naperville Alliance. “We have labs, we have Newfoundlands. There was a big Great Dane, there’s one cat. So there they come in all shapes and sizes.”
Painted and sponsored by Naperville locals
Each furry friend is sponsored by a Naperville business and painted by local artists. The artwork highlights downtown scenes, local business logos… and even favorite sporting events.
“I was given a Husky for this year’s sculpture to paint, and I chose the World Cup theme because my family’s going to the World Cup this year, as well as the sponsor’s family.
It was the Kelly Law Firm who sponsored this,” said Elmwood Elementary School teacher and artist Maggie Rubin.
This was Rubin’s third time painting a summer sculpture.
“I had just increasingly more fun with each,” Rubin said. “It’s a really fun way to be involved with the community. I grew up here, I live here with my three kids, and it’s such a fun tradition that Naperville does.”
Vote for top dog (or cat)
“We encourage people to come downtown and see them all,” Wood said. “There’s a map located on our website. We’ll also have copies around downtown, and notably, people can vote for their favorite online.”
Wood reminded guests not to “sit” on the sculptures but “stay” to the side to snap a selfie.
“People should come walk around, find them all, and enjoy them,” Wood said.
“It’s just really like enlivens downtown Naperville during this time all the way through September,” Rubin said.
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