If you’ve ever dressed up a kitten or a puppy in doll clothes—which means all of us—you understand the appeal of seeing animals as humans; it’s elemental to every culture. To give us a glimpse of our canine friends as us, the Rockwell Museum in Corning and the Arnot Art Museum in Elmira have teamed up for a joint exhibit of photographs of Weimaraner dogs by renowned artist William Wegman. Called Experimentation & Representation: The Photography of William Wegman, it runs through September 3 at the Rockwell and August 20 at the Arnot.

Each venue features a different facet of William’s iconic work. The Rockwell has the Experimentation part, and is showing more abstract photographs, exploratory collaborations in which the dogs become the work of art. The Arnot, with Representation, shows whimsical portraiture, with the Weimaraners posing in all manner of wigs, costumes, accessories, and occasional human limbs. All photos are from the artist’s personal collection.

William Wegman (no relation to the grocers), now eighty, is one of the best-known of all living artists. He was a highly regarded photographer and conceptual artist by the 1970s when he adopted a Weimaraner he named Man Ray after a pioneering surrealist artist. The inquisitive pup had a knack for photo-bombing whatever project William was working on, so it was natural that he would eventually turn the lens on his photogenic pal. The pictures were an instant success, and the ensuing series is known worldwide. In an art realm that is sometimes snooty and self-important, William is the rare visionary who bridges the high and low; the pictures are endlessly rewarding for every viewer. “I really don’t have to wonder what people are thinking when they see my work, because they usually will smile or laugh, and that makes me very happy,” he said during a spring visit to the Rockwell (you can find his talk on YouTube).

Within very narrow parameters—just dogs with props—William is wondrously inventive. The experimental works at the Rockwell are an entertaining disquisition in the textbook elements of design: emphasis, balance, contrast, repetition, proportion, movement, and color. “Wegman’s art is serious art, but it’s also a lot of fun,” says Rockwell’s curator, Dr. Amanda Lett, adding “These are not just dog photos! Line, composition, color, and form take center stage in the photographs.” The dogs are slinky and elegant; in Cursive Display, for instance, one pirouettes gracefully with, of all things, a ribbon of toilet paper. William sees the dogs not just as models, but as collaborators; he chooses the props and presses the shutter, but the dogs themselves, through gesture and expression, do the emoting.

“So much of this work is spontaneous,” William said. “Rather than think-and-do, it’s do-and-think.”

“I’ve had eleven [Weimaraners]…every one has brought something different and special to the work,” William told a panel host in February at the University of Albany. “One dog, Bobbin, had no sense of humor at all, and had a serious face, like Macbeth. His father, Chip, looked like a teddy bear. They all had their little looks.” He does not use treats to manipulate them “because they drool and lurch otherwise. Although I did smear cheese on a book where I had to have it like the dog was reading the book!”

The portraits at the Arnot offer lessons galore about our human condition: the subjects are young and old, sly and innocent, naughty and nice. The cleverly posed dogs, in almost life-sized prints, are an intermediary for us to plug in our own memories and assumptions. Whisper, a dog in a Hawaiian shirt with a thousand-yard stare, became my Uncle Bernie, a Marine combat veteran and prison guard who was decent and kind despite a crippling case of PTSD. Qey is an aspiring rapper, bedecked with bling and the sullen stare of a too-cool-for-you teenager. He is so relatable that it almost comes as a shock when you see two gray paws peeking out from the hem of his jacket. Farm Boy, in his dungarees with a feed sack, hearkens back to the crusty old coot with a pitchfork in Grant Wood’s American Gothic.

These images resonate. The pictures (Polaroids, mostly) are incredibly sharp and the large prints draw the viewer into the frame. The dogs exude an aura of uncanny intelligence, while the props enhance their individuality—they are always droll, often poignant, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. They have graced Sesame Street, Saturday Night Live, a Honda commercial during the Super Bowl, and many books and museums, and even as mosaics in a subway station. William, who has a home near Albany, visited both the Rockwell and the Arnot in late May, accompanied by the adorable thirteen-year-old Flo, one in a long line of canine collaborators. The museum staff characterized him as friendly, laid-back, and definitely not a diva (he plays ice hockey!).

Why that particular breed? “[Weimaraners] have canine features, but human affectations, like mythological creatures,” William told the Manchester, UK, Guardian. “If they were Dalmatians or Labradors, it would be, ‘Oh, it’s a Lab dressed up!’ But Weimaraners are more spooky and shadowy.” They were originally bred as hunting dogs, and were trained to freeze when they spotted game, so “they are good at sitting and staying,” William says. President Eisenhower and actress Grace Kelly were fans. They are intelligent and good with children but, like all working dogs, need space to romp and roam. Puppies start at about $600 (of course, I looked).

Every person is welcome to see these shows (and, by all means, bring the kids!). Even if you haven’t been to an art museum in years—or never, like my Uncle Bernie—no worries; the staffers at both museums are friendly and welcoming, and there is much to see besides the Experimentation & Representation: The Photography of William Wegman, exhibits. There are interactive activities throughout, and there’s even an art hunt which, when completed at both venues, might earn you a fuzzy prize. You’ll leave these museums with your tail waggin’!

Find the Rockwell Museum at 111 Cedar Street, Corning. Summer hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The Kids Rockwell Art Lab is open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call (607) 937-5386 or visit rockwellmuseum.org. The Arnot Art Museum is at 235 Lake Street, Elmira. Summer hours are Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Call (607) 734-3697 or visit arnotartmuseum.org.