Naperville, Illinois, is experiencing the Dog Days of Summer. Thanks to Downtown Naperville Alliance and a lot of creative artists, 24 dog sculptures dot the downtown landscape.

Katie Wood, executive director of Downtown Naperville Alliance, gave me a little background info on this beautiful public art exhibition. Painted sculptures debuted in 2001 as a United Way fundraiser. After a few years’ hiatus, the Downtown Naperville Alliance restarted the program with a holiday theme around 2012. The program shifted to the summer, where it has been ever since.

Originally appearing in 2019, dog-themed sculptures were so popular, Wood and the marketing committee decided to feature them again. Other themes from past years included hearts, sailboats and cars. The dogs were created by a combination of folks, including local artists and students from the local high schools and North Central College. The dogs will remain on the streets through August.

One of the cool parts of this exhibition is it features different dog breeds. Obviously, that makes the sculptures have different shapes and sizes, along with paint jobs.

Fans of the dogs can see a map of the locations and also vote on their favorite on the Downtown Naperville Alliance website. I love these type of sculptures, and the dogs are especially beautiful.

It is hard for me to pick a favorite, but one really caught my attention. Mnementh, sponsored by Naper Nuts & Sweets and created by Morgan Marrazzo, is covered with multicolored wavy stripes. They are all simply adorable, though.

But wait, there’s more. There’s a cat sculpture. How did a feline infiltrate this canine exhibition?

Wood explained they included dogs and cats in the sculpture offerings. One sponsor chose a cat. Of course, I had to find out more about that lone cat.

Pam Bartlett, owner of Pinot’s Palette, explained they already had a dog sculpture. When she learned cats were included, she said she “pounced” on it. Frida Katlo, honoring famous artist Frida Kahlo, was created by Angela Morgan, one of their artists. Being the only cat really makes it stand out and adds a fun quirk to the exhibition.

© Pam Bartlett – Pinot’s Palette

Seeing the Dog Days of Summer was well worth my hour drive. I saw all the pieces while leisurely walking through the downtown area. It was a bit of a long walk, but it was a beautiful day.

Near the end of my walk there was one more surprise. I stumbled upon a Dick Tracy statue. The comic strip detective is linked to Naperville through resident Dick Locher, who wrote and drew the strip for many years.

Naperville’s downtown area, including the Riverwalk, is lovely. While there are plenty of businesses, the area has the charm of a small town.

— John Wroblewski, podcaster