County Durham hosts a dog-friendly outdoor exhibition of dogs in art

• Video report by Emily Reader

Dog owners in the North East are being invited to bring their four-legged friends to a dog-friendly exhibition in Durham which celebrates dogs in art.

From sculptures to paintings, all sides of the beloved pooch through the ages will be on display at Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens.

The outdoor exhibition has been curated from public and private collections across the North and beyond.

Formed by Create North, the exhibition hopes to support artists and creative practitioners to generate income from their work, in partnership with Ushaw and funded by Durham County Council.

It will include a logo painting by Francis Barraud, a former student at Ushaw College, and a HMV poster with a dog next to a gramophone.

Barraud was born into a family of artists in London and studied at Ushaw College between 1866 and 1868 as a pupil at the Junior School.

He painted the original version of His Master's Voice, which brought him worldwide notoriety as it became HMV's logo - one of the world's most recognisable brands. He later received a pension from his patrons for it.

Jane Shaw, Director of Create North, said: "We are such a nation of dog lovers. We thought, how better to celebrate our love and affection for dogs than by creating an outdoor exhibition which dogs can bring their two-legged friends along to.

"We're delighted to be showing this exhibition at Ushaw, not just because of all the wonderful dogs it features, but because of how it showcases the fabulous art collections held across County Durham and the opportunities it has allowed us to create for local creatives."

Visitors will be able to participate in a Make Your Own Dog exhibition using recyclable materials, as well as create dog themes prints in a telephone booth print studio.

The exhibition will be held from Friday 8 April until Sunday 3 July.