Identity & Restraint

Identity & Restraint: Art of the Dog Collar
Oct 7, 2022 - Mar 26, 2023
Since before the dawn of history, we have forged a strong bond with dogs—from hunting companions to sporting breeds as well as faithful pets. The dog collar is a symbol of the evolving relationship between humans and canines. The variety of styles that has developed over time—among them intimidating spiked metal rings, utilitarian pieces, elaborately jeweled works of art, and leather finery—show how we tamed, bred, claimed, and came to love our dogs.

Identity & Restraint: Art of the Dog Collar is an innovative traveling exhibition developed in partnership between the National Sporting Library & Museum (NSLM) and The American Kennel Club (AKC) Museum of the Dog in New York, NY. This unique show will present an array of dog collars from the NSLM’s collection. The largest publicly held collection of its kind, 187 collars were generously donated in 2015 by Dr. and Mrs. Timothy J. Greenan. Fine art from The AKC Museum of the Dog and American Kennel Club Collections will help develop an understanding of the collar as both art and object and how its design changed in relation to different dog breeds and their uses. The exhibition is curated by NSLM’s Deputy Director & George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Curator Claudia Pfeiffer. A comprehensive essay on the history of the dog collar by Dr. Greenan, former NSLM Board Member, will is featured in the accompanying catalogue as well as art descriptions by AKC Museum of the Dog Adjunct Curator Alan Fausel.

NATIONAL SPORTING LIBRARY & MUSEUM, Middleburg, VA
October 7, 2022–March 26, 2023

THE AKC MUSEUM OF THE DOG, New York, NY
April 5, 2023–September 4, 2023

PEBBLE HILL PLANTATION, Thomasville, GA
November 3, 2023–May 3, 2024

This exhibition was made possible at the National Sporting Library & Museum through the generosity of Dr. and Mrs. Timothy J. Greenan, Garth Greenan Gallery, and Mark Anstine and Marianna Lancaster.