Enduring qualities and ongoing change: these shaped 2024. Endurance and change are like the rocks and the water of a creek. Museum founders Bob Spear and Gale Lawrence shared these qualities with all who helped them. They opened their lands and barn-turned-museum to everyone and for decades shared their love of birds. They created museum trails that are free to wander year-round. You can walk or sit, listen or look, observe birds or the whole forest, reflect, meditate, open your senses, be inspired. You can help create an accessible route for everyone, from the museum building all the way to the Retreat. Continue reading “Endure, Change and Bridge: 2024 annual appeal”
From Sparks to Lights: 2023 Annual Appeal
We started 2023 by inviting artists to share the Spark! moment that inspired them to include birds in their art. This prompt shaped an amazing art show full of spark birds, moments, and stories. The Birds of Vermont Museum itself is often the spark that inspires a first or a deeper connection with birds and the natural world.
We finished 2023 with a metaphorical spark, when we unexpectedly had to change out much of the Museum lighting. Continue reading “From Sparks to Lights: 2023 Annual Appeal”
A museum for all ages: 2022 Annual Appeal
Did you know that children make up about a third of the Museum’s visitors each year? They visit with parents, grandparents, camps, schools, and on special outings with friends. Their energy and enthusiasm are exciting and uplifting: some already have a favorite bird they want to see, others are excited to recognize birds they already know, and most are surprised the birds are not real—but really made of wood!
Donors and their gifts make sure that the museum reaches children. Continue reading “A museum for all ages: 2022 Annual Appeal”
Birds over borders: 2020 Annual Appeal
This has been a year of listening, learning, and redefining our definition of normal. Many more people have turned to birds, nature, and art, as they cope with their worries, take advantage of being home, and pursue comfortable physical distancing. Luckily for us, birds, nature, and art are what we do. Continue reading “Birds over borders: 2020 Annual Appeal”
Signs of Support: 2019 Annual Appeal
Your Common Ground: 2018 Annual Appeal
For the last six years, the Birds of Vermont Museum has engaged with local artists to present an annual bird-centered community art exhibit. The works are mindfully created; the artists’ visions and voices tell their stories through a variety of expressive media. The 2018 show Common Grounds focused on the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) of 1918, now in its 100th year. Despite challenges, the MBTA has brought hope, promise, and conservation success to global citizenry, naturalists, and conservationists, and birds. The show became a small-scale reflection of a global purpose.
Great things require creative community backing: physically, financially, and collaboratively. We work together to imagine, investigate, communicate, and protect birds. Artists, educators, legislators, and conservationists unite in their concern and support for the welfare of migratory birds and all wildlife everywhere.
This collaborative effort created and now maintains the Birds of Vermont Museum, an institution with presence in the scientific, cultural arts, and educational communities. Many people, including you, have never wavered in their belief in the Birds of Vermont Museum and our mission. The Museum relies on this generosity for special programs, day-to-day operations, educational activities, and the care and keeping of Museum lands. We hope you will continue to support us by making a year-end donation today.
As an extra thank you, all donors who give at least $200, received by December 31, 2018, will receive a selection of note cards created by artists who contributed to the Common Grounds show.