http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/It-s-Reigning-Cats-and-Dogs-in-downtown-515075.php

STAMFORD -- Long before lines of cars crowded downtown streets Monday morning, a crew from the city's Traffic and Road Maintenance department were out, dressed in bright green shirts and driving a yellow forklift down a nearly empty Bedford Street.

Starting at 5 a.m., the crew began placing the first of 40 animal statues that make up "Reigning Cats and Dogs," this summer's Art in Public Places exhibit in downtown Stamford.

Lynne Collatrella, of the Downtown Special Services District, supervised the movement of art, lending a keen eye on placement and perspective of each statue as it was dropped carefully onto the sidewalk.

"We've got to tweak this, no?" Collatrella said, examining the angle of the "Cat Amphora" as it was lowered by forklift onto the Broad Street, across from the Ferguson Library. She stepped across the empty road and stood on the traffic island to examine the effect from afar, then deemed the statue to be perfectly placed.

The process of moving the statues will take at least a few days, though Collatrella said she was optimistic about finishing the job quickly. The exhibit is set to officially open next week, and the launch party will be held June 16.

Each statue is placed on one of three different types of concrete bases and heavily drilled into place. The sculptures weigh a hundred pounds, while the bases are about five times as heavy.

"Hopefully this keeps them from any fun-loving person who might want to take the pet home with them," Collatrella said.

Statue locations are determined by aesthetics and the wishes of sponsors, which include a range of local companies. Many of the firms who sponsored statues have placed them on or near their property, while sponsors without land downtown have opted to display them in artistic or strategic spots.

Such is the case with the "Dog Tales" statue, whose sponsor, Juner Properties, is based in North Stamford. The turquoise-painted dog, covered with book titles and literary puns, has been chosen to reside, appropriately, outside the Ferguson Library's main branch. Elements of the dog's design, though, reflect the sponsor's personality.

"June Rosenthal (founder of Juner Properties) is known for her love of the color turquoise," Collatrella said.

Near the parking lot across from Macy's, the team planted the base for "Puss in Boots" directly into a patch of dirt and grass by the crosswalk. The statue, a dapper feline dressed in a plumed hat and lace ruff, was maneuvered onto the flattened surface of the dirt and inched meticulously to fit on its base by Dennis Surmaccewicz, who deftly operated the forklift. The crew from Traffic and Road Maintenance included Ralph Socci, Eddie Whitehead and Rodney McDonald, headed up by operation supervisor Doug Hoyt.

Also overseeing the movement of the statues was Andrew Munce, the exhibit's technical director from the DSSD, whom Collatrella jokingly referred to as "the vet."

"This is the most amazing team in the city," Collatrella said, "They're the finest art movers."

By 6 a.m., the team had already moved seven statues into place, and Collatrella said she hoped to complete another 10 or 12 before the morning was over. She held a handful of numbered index cards with the name of each dog on it, as well as the type and size of the base needed.

As passers-by began to trickle onto the pavement -- dog walkers, joggers in sweats, early commuters -- a few heads turned curiously at the sight of the statues.

"Oh, it's a puppy!" said one pedestrian with a grin as he passed "Hot Dog," a statue coated with black paint and orange flames, in the midst of its arrival on Forest Street.

Collatrella said the morning's atmosphere made the task of moving the artwork particularly enjoyable.

"It's actually one of my favorite things to do in this job, bringing out the statues, " she said. "You see a different part of the world. It's fabulous."