SHELBURNE, Vt. – Pet Friendly: The Art of Stephen Huneck, on view at the Shelburne Museum through October 22, celebrates the diverse multimedia work of Stephen Huneck (1948–2010), one of New England’s best-known and most celebrated artists.

It features more than 40 pieces by Huneck, including works on paper, furniture, sculpture, a painting and a short video titled Dog Mountain: A Story of Love, Dogs & Art. The 13 woodcut prints and one prepatrory drawing in the exhibition are from the Shelburne Museum’s collection. The remaining objects are on loan, courtesy of the Friends of Dog Mountain in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, a nonprofit organization that maintains the 150-acre Dog Mountain property, the onetime home of the artist and his late wife, Gwen. It is also the site of his famed Dog Chapel, a church relocated from upstate New York and transformed as only Huneck could, which adheres to the motto ‘Welcome, All Creeds, All Breeds, No Dogmas Allowed.’

Pet Friendly is curated by Carolyn Bauer, who says of the show’s origins, “I do not recall which organization first approached the other, but both Shelburne Museum and the Friends of Dog Mountain have long known that Stephen Huneck’s work would be a natural fit at our institution. For almost two years, our organizations have been working together, first in the generous donation and acquisition of 48 works on paper by the artist to the museum in winter 2022, and then quickly thereafter working on the organization of the exhibition.”

She added, “Working closely with Friends of Dog Mountain — in particular Ali Ide, managing director of Friends of Dog Mountain and Crosby Coughlin, board of trustee member at Friends of Dog Mountain — they agreed to lend several three-dimensional sculptures and furniture pieces that complement the museum’s woodcut prints. Together, the works of art in the exhibition provide an overview of Huneck’s approach to utilizing bold colors and textures as well as his exploration of the centuries-long relationship between humans and their cherished pets through his expressive art.”

Bauer greatly enjoyed the work of assembling the show. “The Friends of Dog Mountain graciously provided me free reign — or a long leash — to borrow any number of works in their possession, for this exhibition,” she said. “Being mindful of the limited gallery size, I wanted to select a small survey of Huneck’s vast multimedia artwork that would facilitate thoughtful conversations with the museum’s woodcut prints. All of the objects in the exhibit feature Huneck’s keen sense of humor, his distinct style, and upholds the artist’s lifelong exploration of how animals humanize people.”

Huneck was a self-taught artist whose career launch had a fairy-tale quality to it, as relayed on his Wikipedia page and elsewhere. In 1984, Jay Johnson, who owned a folk art gallery in Manhattan, spotted a carving of an angel in the flatbed of Huneck’s truck; it happened to be Huneck’s first foray into wood-carving. Johnson asked how much the piece might cost. Intending to call the gallerist’s bluff, Huneck demanded $1,000. Johnson, unruffled, paid for what proved to be the first of many works he would purchase from Huneck.

Huneck’s art manages a minor miracle of sorts. With powerful colors, well-designed compositions and carefully chosen details, he deftly captures the delights and absurdities of living with and knowing dogs. Even the most canine-averse people would succumb to the charms of his oeuvre.

Visit the website of the Shelburne Museum and see its dedicated page for Pet Friendly: The Art of Stephen Huneck.