where natural history meets art
The Birds of Vermont Museum seeks art that speaks to both humans’ and birds’ perspectives and experiences. How might a change in perspective alter people’s understanding of the lives and needs of the birds who share our world?
TODAY is the last day to submit artworks in any media, by new or returning artists, of any age, to the Power of Perspective art show by 11:59 PM! Continue reading “Deadline for submissions to The Power of Perspective“
How do we focus our creative “vision”? Consider the scope of an eagle’s eye—the narrow view of a gleaning warbler—the shadowed sight of a loon underwater. We may see birds above us from the ground, or below us from a plane. We may use a camera lens to record from afar, or a magnifier and lamps to perceive what is normally unknown. How does time influence your perspective? What if we “zoom out” from one bird to a species, to an ecosystem, to a planet? What if we “zoom in” to one bird to its wing, to a feather, to a gene?
How does your art reveal a point of view?
Continue reading “Call to Artists: Power of Perspective”
What happens when you mix art, playfulness, and insights from birds? Creativity influenced by feather color and pattern, frills and function! From bower birds to city pigeons, feathers come in thousands of sizes and colors, fantastic shapes, in different seasons, and for many reasons. Which of these emerge in your art? We want to know!
Continue reading “Call to Artists: Fine Feathers”
Get down on the forest floor and imagine the world from the height of a gnome, a mouse, or a junco. Explore sounds, scents, and colors up close and tiny. Make a wee home for something! Are your neighbors beetles, spiders, shrews?
We’ll have hand lenses, sketchpaper, pencils if you don’t. We’ll explore our small spaces and share our discoveries.
Great for anyone feeling creative, flexible, curious.
About 1 hour
Max: 8 people
Masks: recommended within 6′ of each other.
Meet at the Museum’s front door, by the wingspan banner.
Suggested donation: $5
Our 2021 art show, Expanding Voices, explores and reflects the past year. Visual arts, poetry, 3D, and prose pieces capture the variety of solitudes, connections, race issues, changes and changelessness, new skills, and understandings we experienced in 2020.
Forty artists, photographers, writers, and poets had their work selected for this year’s show. They range from under 10 to over 80 and speak from their varied experiences of birding, the pandemic, faith, and social issues.
Visitors are invited to explore the visual and written art at their own pace, to be inspired, to ask questions, and to browse through the book of artists’ statements.
Show runs through October • Included with Museum admission
Many of the originals are for sale, and several artists have prints, cards, and other items available in our gift shop.
Continue reading “Expanding Voices: perspectives on birding | 2021 community art show”
A Call to Artists from the Birds of Vermont Museum
The year 2020 asked a lot of us—and taught us even more. As our habitual systems hit rock bottom under the weight of the pandemic, economic hardship, and social injustice, voices rose, and long-time institutions were loudly questioned. New ways of experiencing and perceiving our world opened our minds to new comprehension. How could our art, our creativity, our practices remain unaffected? Our perspectives inevitably changed.
We are a museum about and for birds and conservation. We are part of a community of birders, artists, conservationists, and learners. Your experience and perspective may be unseen or unknown to someone else, even in the same community. For 2021, we’d like to hear and share your artistic voice.
What perspectives exist for birds, birding, and conservation, and the possibilities these offer? We seek works that explore many viewpoints for our 2021 art exhibit, Expanding Voices: perspectives on birding. Continue reading “Call to Artists: Expanding Voices”