*National Museum of Animals & Society Opens with Exhibition on the Homeless and their Animal Companions*

Los Angeles – The LA-based National Museum of Animals & Society (NMAS) held a soft opening of its new exhibition space in East Hollywood on Sunday, November 10, 2013. This is the museum's first physical exhibition since it started nearly five years ago as a mobile and online organization. “My Dog is My Home: The Experience of Human-Animal Homelessness” is curated by Skid Row social worker, Christine Kim, MSW.

The exhibit highlights the stories of several interspecies families through video, paintings, photography, audio, and other mediums. Featured artists include: Norah Levine (Austin, TX), Christopher Chinn (Los Angeles, CA), Gary Russo (New York City, NY), and Luis Aripe, Kalynda Follet, and Clare Nilsen, artists from the The Stewpot Art Program, a homeless service provider in Dallas, TX. Showcasing contemporary and historical narratives and artifacts alike, the exhibit seeks to acknowledge how deep and strong the human-animal bond is, especially for people who have little else in their lives and find their home in the heart of an animal.

In conjunction with the exhibition is a series of dynamic events –

  – October 24, 2013 – The museum organized the first ever *Service Fair* for the Animals of Skid Row, which pampered the pets of Los Angeles' homeless community with food, supplies, grooming, and wellness exams.
  – November 10, 2013 – NMAS hosts the *soft opening* of its new exhibition space and “My Dog is My Home” with featured guest speaker, Dr. Leslie Irvine, UC Boulder professor and author of “My Dog Always Eats First: Homeless People and Their Animals”
  – November 11, 2013 – *Dr. Leslie Irvine* presents “My Dog Always Eats First” as part of the museum's annual Fall Lecture Series held in conjunction with University of Redlands
  – November 17, 2013 – Gallery talk with *photographer Norah Levine*, director of the Lifelines Project
  – November 28, 2013 – The Los Angeles *Tofurky Trot* on Thanksgiving Day benefits the museum's exhibition and its programming for the homeless
  – December 7, 2013 – Screening of the Hurricane Katrina *documentary “Mine”* with Q&A

“My Dog is My Home” will be on view to the public November 14, 2013 – January 5, 2014, Thursdays – Sundays from 11 am – 6 pm and by appointment. Dogs are welcome at the museum! The exhibition will open in an online format early 2014.

*About NMAS*

Founded in January 2010, the National Museum of Animals & Society (NMAS) is the first museum of its kind dedicated to enriching the lives of animals and people by exploring our shared experience. NMAS centers on animal protection, animal studies and humane education in its exhibitions, collections, public programming, and educational efforts. www.museumofanimals.org will be on view to the public November 14, 2013 – January 5, 2014, Thursdays – Sundays from 11 am – 6 pm and by appointment. Dogs are welcome at the museum! The exhibition will open in an online format early 2014.