Art of Birds Lecture Series

Sam Zimmerman/Zhaawanoogiizhik, a Grand Portage Band of Ojibwe direct descendant, shares the bird relatives of the Gichi Gami (Lake Superior) region.

Elizabeth shares the story of the creation of Wingspan, a board game that has introduced millions of players to the beauty and diversity of birdlife.

Marwin Begaye discusses how his work examines the issues of cultural identity through the intersection of American Indian and popular cultures.

Natasza shares what inspires her as a natural science illustrator and discusses bioacoustics and fieldwork as an avid avian recordist.

Dr. J. Drew Lanham discusses what it means to embrace the full breadth of his African American heritage and his deep kinship to nature and adoration of birds.

Dr. Mary Jo Arnoldi explores the ways that different bird species mark the rhythm of rural life and serve as commentary on ancient and contemporary histories.

Dr. Francesca Soriano reinterprets Martin Johnson Heade’s paintings of hummingbirds in the context of the 19th century feather and bird trade. 

Look at some of the treasures of bird art in Mass Audubon’s art collection, spanning several centuries, and many genres. 

Colleene Fesko and Amy Montague will engage in a lively discussion exploring why bird imagery speaks to several, often quite different, audiences—and if, in fact, there is a common denominator.

Hear about Barry Van Dusen's inspirations and influences, his challenges and setbacks, and his progress and successes as he learned the art of working directly from his natural subjects.

Gigi Hopkins has seen enormous changes in the world of decoys and miniatures: who collects them, how they are sold, and how they are understood by the art market and by museums and scholars.

Subhankar Banerjee discusses how today’s bird conservation movement resonates with a similar call issued during the late 19th century in the United States, sharing recent and current cultural battles and conservation initiatives.

Benson scholar Faith Andrews Bedford traces Benson’s journey from his boyhood dream of being an ornithological illustrator to his fame as an American Impressionist, culminating in his full circle return to depicting—and saving—the birds which first inspired him.

Take a deep dive into some microscopic structures found in nature, such as feathers and pollen attached to native bees, and see how these structures inspire artists and how maker spaces use images like these to fabricate models of the microscopic structures in nature.