Muskegon, Museum of Art

Birds in Art

December 10, 2009 – February 14, 2010

The feather forecast is always favorable for the exhibition Birds in Art. Whether the subjects are backyard feeder favorites or exotic species from around the world, an international cast of artists interprets avian themes and habitats employing diverse styles and mediums. Art lovers and bird lovers alike always find something to crow about as they discover the harmony and serenity or the power and tension that infuse these artworks. When 60 artists representing the United States and ten other countries interpret this subject, they create a microcosm of the world’s fascinating avian diversity. Each work reflects the universal appeal of birds and their tradition as a source of inspiration. Artists use their bird subjects as metaphors, to make ecological statements, or simply as objects of beauty. Birds in Art is filled with globetrotting themes. Roger Folk’s brown pelicans catch an updraft above California’s Big Sur coastline. From Africa comes Dino Paravano’s majestic crowned cranes, while Swedish artist Lars Jonsson portrays mountains and glaciers of Antarctica that render a small clutch of king penguins almost inconsequential. Of great pride to our area, West Michigan artist Catherine McClung is represented in Birds in Art with her watercolor Lions and Lamb, portraying a mourning dove perched on a fountain that is backlit in the morning sun. Birds in Art will provide weeks of near-perfect indoor birdwatching—no binoculars, bug spray, or birding field guides required! Birds in Art is a juried exhibition organized and toured annually by the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausaw, Wisconsin. The Muskegon showing of the exhibition is underwritten by Warner, Norcross & Judd LLP and the Folkert Family Foundation.