Pets of Palo Alto is a community-based public art project sponsored by the City of Palo Alto Public Art Program.

Since Covid-19 entered our consciousness, more than 23 million American households adopted pets—one out of every five homes added a pet since March 2020.

The aim of this project is to introduce those pets and their owners to their neighbors in Palo Alto. Pets break down barriers, spark delight and have lasting health benefits for their owners.

Pets of Palo Alto will travel to different parts of the City during the month of August to conduct photo shoots of families with their pets. Each family will come away with a professional photograph of their family with their pet. The photographs will be uploaded to our website and Instagram page along with the story of the pet.

Pets of Palo Alto will conclude with an exhibition of the photographs at Mitchell Park Community Center Basketball Court in October 2022. Please join us for the opening reception on Saturday, October 1, 4-6pm

PETS OF PALO ALTO is a collaboration between curator Harriet Stern and documentary photographer Federica Armstrong. Special thanks to our student photographers Jaein Chung and Jacob Kinsky for all their assistance.

Arriving in Palo Alto 12 years ago with a toddler and a 5 year old, Harriet (and Curt) raised her children in our very special community. From visiting the Children’s Theatre, Library and City Parks to frequent stops and camps at the Junior Museum and Zoo to classes at the the Art Center bike rides down University Ave, Palo Alto has afforded our family a warm and wonderful existence. During Covid our community suffered from isolation and restrictions. Pets of Palo Alto was conceived of as a way to re-connect with neighbors far and wide through art.

Harriet began her career in Chicago as a corporate art consultant and most recently as an independent curator.

Originally from Italy, Federica Armstrong is a documentary photographer based in Palo Alto. Her work included editorial photography as well as commercial work for many local non-profit organizations. Federica’s project ‘In Plain Site’, on the superfund sites located in Silicon Valley was featured in the New York Times Lens Blog and was part of ‘Devour the Land’, an exhibit shown at Harvard Art Museum in the fall of 2021.

When she’s not photographing you can find Federica hiking at Foothills Park or looking after her veggies at Rinconada Community Garden.

Jacob Kinsky

Jaein Chung