"Created Permanence: Picturing the Avian Past and Present" Exhibit Opening Reception

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January 24

5:30pm - 7:30pm

Anderson Academic Commons, Room 340, Loft Classroom

Audience: Alumni,  Current Student,  Faculty,  Neighbor or Friend,  Staff

The University Libraries invite you to an exhibit opening reception showcasing the University of Denver’s collection of prints by John J. Audubon and John Gould, who inspired this exhibition. Their foundational work in avian studies is still affecting the art and science world. The work by Audubon, Gould, and contemporary artists explores the way birds are viewed both in the past and the present.

The “Created Permanence: Picturing the Avian Past and Present” exhibit opening reception will take place in the Loft, room 340, in the Anderson Academic Commons on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, from 5:30 P.M. to 7:30 P.M. The curators, Emily Oxford-Pickeral and Morgan Fleetwood, will give a short talk at 6:15 P.M.

Appetizers will be provided.

 

Event Details:

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

5:30 to 7:30 P.M.

Curators talk at 6:15 P.M.

 

University of Denver

Anderson Academic Commons

2150 E. Evans Ave., Denver, CO 80210

The Loft

Upper Level, Room 340

Event is free and open to the public, DU students, faculty, and staff.

For information about parking, please visit http://awb7q.goudounet.com/parking/parking-locations-and-maps. All parking is paid parking, and the recommended visitor lots near the AAC are 301 and 315.

 

In the 19th century there was a trend toward the exploration and accurate depiction of the natural world. Interest in nature was increased by exploration and the collecting, and studying specimens. This naturalistic depiction, aptly named naturalism, affected all flora and fauna and birds with no exception. The bird prints on display in this exhibition reflect the time’s emphasis on scientific education and research. While they were intended to serve as encyclopedic illustrations, they also show a remarkable level of artistry. Animals were staged and manipulated to appear in their most “natural” state. In the practice of representing the animals for scientific study, the birds were hunted and often taxidermied before rendered in print form. The prints of birds by Audubon and others demonstrate an overlap in art history and the history of scientific staging methods.

 

We look forward to sharing this avian artistry with you!  No RSVP is required.