IT’S A DOG’S LIFE…They had painted cows in New York and Chicago, pigs in Seattle and dolphins in Florida, so what more appropriate place to display colorfully-painted dog sculptures than canine-friendly Carmel Beach? Next Thursday morning, April 1 (no fooling, really), 30 to 40 life-size sculpted dogs made of resin by Carmel artist Gerrica Connolly and decorated by various Monterey County painters will be set up in the sands at the bottom of Ocean Avenue. They’re part of a pack of 85 “companion pieces,” all of which were sponsored by local business owners and assigned to different artists. The finished dogs will be displayed and auctioned off at those downtown businesses during the Carmel Art Festival, May 13-16. Only those already painted will be on display April 1, and just for a few hours, so people can get an advance peek at what will be up for auction in May. Proceeds from this unusual dog show will join proceeds from the entire festival in benefiting Professional Artists in the Schools and the Youth Arts Collective, two county arts programs for kids.

WINFIELD DEMO…The Central Coast Art Association’s monthly meeting on Monday, March 29, will be a rare opportunity to hear from Rodney Winfield, scion of the talented and artistic Winfield family, a sculpture and metal worker of great renown, whose stained-glass creations are in the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. The program begins at 7pm in the Chapman Room, Sunset Center, San Carlos at 9th in Carmel. Call 373-3945 for more information.

VILLASEÑOR CHAT…Author and playwright Victor Villaseñor, who is just finishing up a one-year residency as the first Steinbeck Chair, will discuss his thoughts on writing, personal dignity, the importance of the family, and peace at a community forum Friday, March 16 at 6pm at Hartnell College’s Performing Arts Center. The renowned author of Rain of Gold, an intergenerational novel about a Mexican farming family in the Central Valley, will also read from local schoolchildren’s essays about personal encounters that proved to be turning points in their lives. This is a unique opportunity to hear from a powerful Mexican American cultural voice, in a family-friendly atmosphere—in other words, it’s for kids first, parents second. It’s free, on the college’s main stage at 156 Homestead Ave., Salinas. 775-4243.