Recent Acquisitions 2016

Black-faced Antthrush by John Sill, watercolor, 1990. Mass Audubon Collection, bequest of Ted Raymond, 2016.

2016 was a banner year for gifts of art at the Museum of American Bird Art, and this small exhibit presents 11 of the 42 artworks received as gifts or bequests.

Spanning two centuries and a variety of styles and mediums, their scope is representative of the breadth of Mass Audubon’s collection. Artists included are Larry Barth, Allan Brooks, Robert Verity Clem, John Gould, John Sill, George Miksch Sutton, Barry Van Dusen and Alexander Wilson.

Many of these generous gifts came from donors who have had long associations with Mass Audubon.

• James Baird, retired vice president and current Council member, was deeply involved in the establishment of this museum. He donated 12 artworks, most of them by artists he has known personally.
• Ted Raymond (1936-2013) was an avid birder and a board member of Mass Audubon for more than 20 years. He collected bird-related art over many decades, and 21 of those artworks came to the museum this past year.
• Henry M. Parker (1919-1997) was also a Mass Audubon board member, and a founding member of the Sudbury Valley Trustees. He commissioned the Long-Crested Hawk Eagle by Robert Verity Clem, which his son, David, so generously donated to the museum.

Museum visitors, both present and future, are the fortunate beneficiaries of these splendid gifts.