Not only will the Butler Art Center & Gallery open an exhibit focused on pets this month, the organization is hosting a pre-exhibit event at Alameda Park to get furry friends involved in the creative process.

The Outdoor Pet Fair will take place Aug. 23 at Alameda Park and will feature art activities for people and their pets. Activities include lick painting, paw print painting, portraits and more, according to Shirley McCauley of the Associated Artists of Butler County.

There will also be at least 10 vendors — offering items for humans and pets — and basket raffles. The Butler County Humane Society also will be represented at the pet event.

The event is free, but proceeds from the donations for the activities there will be split between the Butler Art Center & Gallery and an animal rescue organization.

This is the first time the arts group has hosted a pet event, and McCauley said it is all in service to the pet art exhibit that will open at the center Tuesday.

“It's an artful celebration of pets,” McCauley said. “We did come up with the idea for the pet art exhibit, but thought, 'Wouldn't it be cool if we had some kind of event for pets?'”

According to McCauley, about 25 artists submitted pieces for the pet exhibit, and the pieces came in many different mediums. Submissions for the show are open until Saturday.

The gallery will have an opening reception for “An Artful Celebration of Pets” on Aug. 24, which will be attended by some of the submitting artists. McCauley said the pets won’t be present in person at the gallery, however.

McCauley said many people were eager to submit pieces to the pet exhibit because of the shared love of animals within the Butler community.

“So many people have pets and we wanted to give them an opportunity to put their pets on display in whatever form they choose,” McCauley said.

The Outdoor Pet Fair will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 23 at Oddfellows Shelter at the park. The opening reception to the pet exhibit will be from 6 to 8 p.m. the following day at the art center.

For more information on the Outdoor Pet Event, visit its Facebook event page. For more information on the art exhibit, visit butlerartcenterandgallery.org.