Time to freak out: Cats invade Cincinnati Art Museum

From their early days of domestication, cats have made quite an impression on their people.

"They have really fascinated artists for a very long time, both for their character traits and because, for whatever reason, we find them intrinsically beautiful," said Cincinnati Art Museum curator Julie Aronson.

A mew – err, new – exhibit at the museum illustrates that. "Divine Felines: Cats of Ancient Egypt" runs now through Sept. 11. (By the way, you'll find more dubious puns in the exhibit's signage – think "fur-tography purr-mitted.")

Organized by the Brooklyn Museum, the exhibit features 80 pieces from the institution's Egyptian collection that relate to the role of cats, lions and other felines in ancient Egyptian culture. The objects range from the coffin of a princess (whose name basically translates to 'kitty,' Aronson said) to tiny amulets – even a sarcophagus and coffin for cat mummies. In keeping with the theme, the objects' display cases will be embedded in pyramids.

"The objects are so beautiful and intriguing to look at," Aronson said. "They have a strangeness to them, but they have a kind of power. Even if they're very small, they have almost a magical power to them."

Egyptians were one of the first cultures responsible for feline domestication, she said, noting that as the society became more dependent on agriculture, cats helped get rid the fields of mice and rats.

"Because they found that there were so many positive aspects of cats that they admired, they developed this cosmology around them," she said.

Like the goddess Bastet, often represented as a domestic cat. The museum already has a small figure of her in its Antiquities gallery, along with several other pieces that closely relate to the summer show.

(Dog lovers need not feel left out, by the way: "Divine Felines" includes a small section about their role in ancient Egypt, too.)

Aronson has three cats of her own, all named after women artists. And she has volunteered with Save the Animals Foundation (STAF) for 10 years.

She sees the cat theme as a way of making Egyptian culture more accessible.

"One of the things I think is so great about this (exhibit) is it really does connect the past with the present," she said. "A lot of the things that the Egyptians admired with cats, we do, too. They can curl up with you on the sofa, but they can be absolutely relentless when it comes to hunting."

Speaking of that continuing connection, the museum moves from ancient Egyptian cats to modern-day ones with The Internet Cat Video Festival, to be held in conjunction with the exhibit on June 24 and 25. Nicknamed #catvidfest and organized by Minneapolis' Walker Art Center, it's an hour-long program of about 100 cat clips. Will Braden, the creator of web series "Henri, Le Chat Noir" and winner of the festival’s first Golden Kitty (People’s Choice) Award, curated the publicly nominated clips.

The first showing will be part of this month's “Art After Dark: Cats and Cocktails” event and will be held in Seasongood Pavilion, across from the museum. That's at 9:15 p.m. Friday, June 24.

A second showing will follow at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 25 in the museum's Fath Auditorium. Cat attire and makeup are encouraged (no masks).

If you still want more cats, they'll be represented throughout the museum, not just in the special exhibit, this summer. Three complementary special features are:

•  Modern Cat (June 18–Sept. 11) features 20 prints from the museum's collection, dating from about 1890 to 1980. Look for works by Théophile Steinlen, Joan Miró, Charley and Edie Harper, and Inagaki Tomoo. 
•  Master Cats (July 11–Nov. 13) includes works such as Albrecht Dürer’s "Adam and Eve" and Rembrandt van Rijn’s "Virgin and Child with a Cat and Snake," plus a selection of 19th- and 20th-century Japanese prints, on loan from the Joel and Bernice Weisman collection, that will rotate throughout the showing. 
•  Elizabeth Nourse: Sketchbooks and Archive (May 14–Nov. 13) includes sketches of cats and dogs by the Cincinnati artist.

So if you like cats, even a litter bit, head on over to the Cincinnati Art Museum for feline fun that's 100 percent scratch-free, no lint roller required.

If you go

What: "Divine Felines: Cats of Ancient Egypt" 

Where: Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive

When: Exhibit is open during regular museum hours, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, June 18 through Sept. 11

Cost: Free

What: The Internet Cat Video Festival

When: 9:15 p.m. Friday, June 24; 11 a.m. Saturday, June 25 

Where: Friday: Seasongood Pavilion, located in Eden Park across from the Cincinnati Art Museum. (Heavy rain and/or lightning will cancel). Saturday: Fath Auditorium at  the Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive

Cost: Free

Information: www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org