Heiner Contemporary is delighted to announce Winging It, a group exhibition exploring the study and depiction of birds, featuring work by Colby Caldwell, Todd Forsgren, Justin Gibbens, Megan Greene, Jenny Sidhu Mullins, Roger Tory Peterson, and Beverly Ress. The exhibition takes as its starting point three works by the American naturalist, ornithologist and artist Roger Tory Peterson. In 1934, Peterson published A Field Guide to the Birds, the first modern field guide available to amateurs, which revolutionized birding through its new identification system and by making bird watching accessible to the masses. He went on to publish numerous books, each of which demonstrates his sensitivity and devotion to the natural world and its preservation. The huge popularity of his guides as well as his environmentally conscientious methods of depicting birds, plants, insects, and mammals have greatly contributed to wildlife conservation and stewardship. Whether directly or indirectly, the contemporary artists in this exhibition are indebted to Peterson and his work.
Winging It brings together Peterson's bird studies and work by a new generation of artists who share his fascination with and appreciation of the natural world, especially its feathered inhabitants. From Beverly Ress' meticulous colored pencil drawings of bird specimens housed at the National Museum of Natural History to Megan Greene's thought-provoking riffs on classic Audubon prints, each artist draws from the history of ornithology and expands upon it to meet contemporary issues. Todd Forsgren, who directly links his work to Peterson, travels the world with groups of ornithologists photographing netted birds that are caught and then released for scientific study. Forsgren's depictions of live birds from around the globe provide a sharp contrast to Colby Caldwell's poetic photographs of found bird wings that allude to the fragility of living things. Justin Gibbens' and Jenny Mullins' beautifully rendered watercolors and graphite drawings present the viewer with disquieting images that relay a cautionary tale advocating the stewardship Peterson worked so hard to foster.
Winging It will be on view at Heiner Contemporary June 15th - July 28, 2012. The gallery will host an opening reception on Friday, June 15 from 6-8pm. Heiner Contemporary is located at 1675 Wisconsin Avenue, NW. For more information about the gallery and upcoming exhibitions, email info@heinercontemporary.com or visit the website at www.heinercontemporary.com.