Marin sculptor honors service animals at Sausalito fundraiser – Marin Independent Journal
Ben Madilynn
In order to get approval to build a national memorial in Washington, D.C., you have to explain your idea in 20 minutes to a panel from the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission. When Susan Bahary approached the commission with her idea to create a memorial for United States war, service and therapy animals, the approval was swift and unanimous.
“They recognized that a very important part of our nation’s history had not yet been memorialized in our nation’s capital,” says the sculptor and Novato resident, who received approval from Congress for a National Service Animals Memorial in 2022. “We’re very excited, and we’re now working in a serious effort to raise the funds.”
Bahary launched the Purple Poppy Awards last year to honor national service animals and their handlers, and its annual awards ceremony is a major part of the National Service Animals Memorial fundraising effort. The second annual Purple Poppy Awards ceremony takes place from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Pines at 33 Miller Ave. in Sausalito. Admission is $125. Get more information and tickets at nationalserviceanimalsmemorial.org/2024-nsam-purple-poppy-awards.
This year’s Animal of the Year goes to Sully, a yellow Labrador retriever that served as a service dog for former President George H.W. Bush at the end of his life and attracted national attention by lying in front of the late president’s casket at his memorial service in 2018. Bahary’s bronze statue of Sully is on display at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Hill, Texas, and the real Sully will be flying from New York to accept the honor.
Other guests at the celebration include Search Dog Foundation founder Wilma Melville and U.S. Air Force Academy mascot Nova the falcon. Bahary’s bronze animal sculptures will be on display and for sale, and guests will be able to enjoy food and wine and participate in a silent auction.
Animals and art have been two of the main threads in Bahary’s life since she began sculpting in sixth grade. Born in Long Island, she spent much of the 1970s breeding and exhibiting Afghan hounds, including 25 champion dogs, before taking sculpture more seriously in the 1980s. She moved to Novato in 1984, where she’s lived ever since, except for a brief stint in Santa Barbara.
Her career breakthrough came in 1994, when she was commissioned to design the U.S.’s first-ever memorial for service animals: the “Always Faithful” statue in Guam, commemorating the 25 Doberman pinscher dogs that gave their lives in the defense of the Pacific island in World War II.
“That really opened my eyes to the heart of those who serve, both human and animal alike,” Bahary says. “I found it moving that there are people in this world who will put themselves on the line for others, as well as all of the animals that do it for us. So that started me on the trajectory of my art.”
Since then, Bahary has made “the human-animal bond” a central theme in her work, and her most prestigious commissions include “The Pledge,” a sculpture honoring female servicewomen and animal handlers at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, and memorials for war animals in both Australia and New Zealand.
Bahary’s knowledge of canine anatomy, developed from years breeding and judging dogs on the show circuit, helped her establish her reputation as an expert sculptor of dogs.
“Having shown them, I was able to enjoy capturing their true physical qualities and essence in my art,” she says.
Her sculptures of horses are also acclaimed.
However, Bahary envisions an all-encompassing memorial in Washington, D.C. to all kinds of animals that have served U.S. citizens and military personnel.
“We’re talking about horses, mules, donkeys, dogs, pigeons, cats, sea lions, dolphins and whales,” she says. “So many animals provide for our safety, security and independence.”
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