Birds Of The Northeast Come To Fairfield University Art Museum

Birds of the Northeast: Gulls to Great Auks features paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, photographs, and natural history specimens from the early 19th century through the present day. Curated by Museum Director Carey Weber and Fairfield University Biology professors Brian Walker, PhD, Jim Biardi, PhD, and Tod Osier, PhD, the exhibition complements the installation on Fairfield’s campus of The Lost Bird Project by artist Todd McGrain—five monumental sculptures created as public memorials to birds driven to extinction in modern times (on view from October 2020 to August 2021).

The “lost birds” section of Birds of the Northeast: Gulls to Great Auks will include a Great Auk skeleton lent by the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University, along with preparatory drawings, photographs and maquettes for The Lost Bird Project, and paintings of lost birds by contemporary artists including Walton Ford, Ann Craven, James Prosek, Morgan Bulkeley, and Alberto Rey.

The “living birds” section of the exhibition will include specimens of a variety of common, local birds, also coming from the Peabody. Highlights include Marsden Hartley’s Give Us This Day, and Andrew Day Jackson’s portfolio There Will Come Soft Rains, which draws from numerous sources, including old Audubon copper plates, to explore both preservation and apocalyptic destruction. Additional artworks include works by Alexander Wilson, John Gould, Emily Eveleth, James Prosek, Rick Shaefer, Carolyn Blackwood, Christy Rupp, Christina Empedocles, and Paul Villinski.

“Some of these works were created specifically for this exhibition, which has been really exciting,” noted Weber. “It was wonderful to work with contemporary artists and see their enthusiasm for creating work in response to the environmentalist themes of this exhibition.”

Birds of the Northeast: Gulls to Great Auks and The Lost Bird Project explore the many ways in which artists have used avian imagery from Alexander Wilson’s time to today. The exhibitions connect us to the natural world and will raise awareness of the toll being taken on bird habitats, and the threat of extinction to an estimated 1,200 bird species over the next century.

Wall labels and brochure texts coupled with tours and programming will address how specific birds in the exhibition contribute to the ecosystem, the threats they face in their habitats, and the ongoing efforts to preserve these species and the ecosystems of which they are part. “One of the only links we have to the birds that have gone extinct are these images and sculptures,” noted co-curator, Dr. Brian Walker. “We should feel fortunate that the greater proportion of the work presented in this exhibition depicts birds we still have the opportunity to see in the wild. Here’s hoping we can keep them in that category.”

This unique interdisciplinary exhibition demonstrates the alliance between art and science, and how art can be meaningfully used to raise awareness of the importance of saving bird habitats, and will spark discussion on the preservation of the broader natural environment for the survival of avian species.

Learn more about the exhibition and virtual events at https://www.fairfield.edu/muse...