Wilson Ong’s Rainbow Neon Dog will be dedicated as public art in West
Hollywood on May 10. (photo courtesy of the city of West Hollywood)

The city of West Hollywood is inviting the community to a public art dedication event for the installation of the public artwork Rainbow Neon Dog on Friday, May 10 at 6:30 p.m. at William S. Hart Park, located at 8341 De Longpre Ave.

Rainbow Neon Dog is a recent addition to the city’s growing Urban Art Program and consists of a reconditioned, electrically rotating neon sign in the shape of a barking dog set atop a supporting pole that raises it above street level to be enjoyed by pedestrians and vehicles alike traveling along Sunset Boulevard in either direction. The sign measures 10-feet-high by 10- feet-wide by 3-feet-deep. It was designed in 1990 by Wilson Ong for the Collar & Leash pet store formerly located at 8555 Santa Monica Blvd. In 2020, after the closure of the store, the owners gifted the sign to the city of West Hollywood for inclusion in the Urban Art Program collection. At its new location along the iconic Sunset Strip, the sign is guaranteed to become a novel cultural attraction and will serve as a wayfinding device for the entrance to Hart Park while continuing the city’s efforts to activate Sunset Boulevard with pedestrian-friendly experiences.

The Urban Art Program provides a mechanism to integrate free and accessible art into the urban fabric of the city. In particular, the Urban Art Program is motivated by a desire to ameliorate some of the effects new development has on the community. New development often results in intensified use of land where larger structures seem imposing and inaccessible to the public. Urban art can help soften this effect and provide interaction and connection between the public and private domains.

For information about Rainbow Neon Dog, contact Marcus Mitchell, the city of West Hollywood’s Public Art Administrator, at mmitchell@weho.org or at (323)848-3122. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing call TTY (323)848-6496.