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. Beyond merely connecting us to the natural world, the artworks in this exhibition remind us of the toll taken on bird habitats since the beginning of European colonialism in North America; the delicate ecosystems that allow birds of all species to thrive came under attack, as birds were hunted for food and ornamentation and their habitats were destroyed.
Curated by Museum Director Carey Weber and 天美传媒视频无限制观看 Biology professors Brian Walker, PhD, Jim Biardi, PhD, and Tod Osier, PhD, the exhibition complements the installation on Fairfield鈥檚 campus of The Lost Bird Project by artist Todd McGrain. These monumental sculptures, created as public memorials to North American birds driven to extinction in modern times, present a chronicle of humankind's impact on our changing world and a moving record of dwindling biodiversity (on view from October 2020 to August 2021).
The 鈥渓ost birds鈥 section of Birds of the Northeast: Gulls to Great Auks features studies for McGrain鈥檚 sculptures, a Great Auk skeleton lent by the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University, and paintings of lost birds by contemporary artists including Walton Ford, Ann Craven, James Prosek, Morgan Bulkeley, and Alberto Rey. The 鈥渓iving birds鈥 section of the exhibition includes specimens of a variety of common, local birds, also coming from the Peabody. Highlights include Marsden Hartley鈥檚 Give Us This Day and Matthew Day Jackson鈥檚 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.
Birds of the Northeast: Gulls to Great Auks celebrates local birds that we know well and continue to enjoy, while being reminded that worldwide, over 150 bird species have already been driven to extinction, and an estimated 1,200 more are estimated to follow over the next century if action is not taken. This unique interdisciplinary exhibition demonstrates the ways in which art and science can join forces to raise awareness not only of the importance of saving bird habitats, but the preservation of our broader natural environment. The museum is proud to partner with the Pequot Library, the Connecticut Audubon Society, and the Greenwich Audubon Center in presenting the programming for this exhibition.
Background Image: Ann Craven (American, b. 1972), Passenger Pigeons, Again (Extinct, after Audubon), 2019, oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist and Southard Reid, London
Virtual Tour
Made possible with funding from Art Bridges
Video Tour
Browse Selected Artworks
Audioguide: Selected Works
Exhibition Catalog
Featuring an introductory essay by Brian Walker, PhD
Birds of Fairfield
A guide to campus birds created by student Anne Panos '22, using a list compiled by Tod Osier, PhD
Birds of Fairfield Playlist
All events will be livestreamed at thequicklive.com. Click below to register for reminders.
Virtual Opening Night Lecture: Birds of the Northeast: Gulls to Great Auks
Brian Walker, Professor of Biology
Thursday, January 21, 6 p.m.
Presented in partnership with the Department of Biology
Virtual Lecture: Marsden Hartley, Painter of Birds
Jonathan Weinberg, Artist and Professor, Yale University School of Art and Rhode Island School of Design
Wednesday, February 10, 6 p.m.
Part of the Edwin L. Weisl, Jr. Lectureships in Art History, funded by the Robert Lehman Foundation
Art in Focus: Walton Ford, Dying Words, 2005, etching
Michelle DiMarzo, Curator of Education and Academic Engagement
Thursday, February 18, 11 a.m.
Virtual Lecture: Birding While Black
J. Drew Lanham, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology, Master Teacher and Certified Wildlife Biologist, Clemson University
Tuesday, March 2, 5 p.m.
Presented in partnership with the Department of Biology
Virtual Workshop: Learn How to Draw a Bird
Suzanne Chamlin, Associate Professor of Studio Art, Department of Visual & Performing Arts
Tuesday, March 9, 5 p.m.
Virtual Lecture: Nature鈥檚 Best Hope
Douglas Tallamy, Professor Entomology, University of Delaware
Tuesday, March 23, 4 p.m.
Presented in partnership with the Department of Biology
Virtual Lecture: Rara avis: John James Audubon: Artist, Naturalist, and Early Conservationist
Roberta Olson, Curator, New-York Historical Society; Professor of Art History Emerita, Wheaton College
Wednesday, April 14, 5 p.m.
Part of the Edwin L. Weisl, Jr. Lectureships in Art History, funded by the Robert Lehman Foundation
Wall Street Journal
"Birds of the Northeast: Gulls to Great Auks鈥 Review: In Top-Flight Form"
CT Post
"Birds of the Northeast鈥 exhibit spotlights regional fowl at 天美传媒视频无限制观看 Art Museum"
Antiques and the Arts Weekly
"Birds Of The Northeast: Gulls To Great Auks"