Uncle Fester and Gomez: The Art of Anne B. Harris on Exhibit at Blue Hills

On Display from May 15, 2025

The Blue Hills Trailside Museum will feature the cunning works of artist Anne B. Harris in Uncle Fester and Gomez, on exhibit now.

About the Exhibition

Place-based art making is integral to Harris’ painting practice—since July 2024, she has frequently visited the resident Black Vulture and Turkey Vulture exhibit with her art supplies. Harris was fascinated by these stereotypically “ugly” birds so often overlooked by western society. Following an intuition and curiosity to share the beauty, mystery, and importance of these birds, she has been regularly painting them on site. 

Painting in their presence is more than direct observation—it's participatory. Each brushstroke embodies spirit, curiosity, empathy, and atmosphere from all three of them. The Black Vulture, called Uncle Fester, and the Turkey Vulture, Gomez, watch Harris work. Slowly building trust, their relationship has evolved to be one of routine as these highly intelligent creatures go about their day fanning out their wings in the sun, cleaning their beaks, hopping around, and sitting closely for short periods.

Imagining respect and appreciation for a misunderstood species, Harris’ artistic practice is a call to care and to educate. Vultures are integral to the health of the Earth, as they minimize disease by feeding on animal carcasses and safely digesting harmful bacteria with their powerful stomach acid. Harris’ paintings aim to clean up their reputation as a misunderstood animal, one brushstroke at a time. 

About the Artist

Harris is a practicing artist from Worcester, Massachusetts, who loves painting, video art, and performance art. She is also an adjunct professor at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Assumption University, and Northeastern University where she teaches all different types of courses and artistic mediums. 

She earned her M.F.A. from the School of Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University in 2021. In January 2025 she received a Material Needs Grant from the gallery Arts Worcester and then was named “a person to watch” by Pulse Magazine, a lifestyle and entertainment magazine for central Massachusetts. 

You can find more of her work on Instagram @anne_b_harris.    

Visit the Exhibit

Find Harris’s work inside the Blue Hills Trailside Museum in Milton, open Wednesdays-Sundays, 9:00 am-4:00 pm and observe her muses at play in their outdoor exhibit, open daily 9:00 am-4:00 pm.

Plan Your Visit