After reading about Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s Birds in Art, Jessica Prince took a trip to view the annual exhibition in Wisconsin.
Two decades later Prince is preparing for the first stop of the exhibit’s 2024 national tour. Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Plum Creek Nature Center in Crete Township near Beecher hosts the show from Jan. 2 to Feb. 25, 2024.
Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays and noon-4 p.m. Sundays.
“It’s so exciting,” said Prince, facility supervisor at Plum Creek Nature Center.
“Winter’s a good time for us because obviously it’s an indoor opportunity. We still do a lot of winter recreation but having (the exhibit) come will garner a lot of visitors. We’re always looking for new visitors, too. People interested in birding or fine art, this is also of interest to them hopefully.”
According to Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Birds in Art attracts hundreds of artists worldwide and a portion of the juried exhibition has toured annually since 1979.
“Half of the actual museum collection goes on the road,” said Prince of Frankfort.
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“There are 10 pieces that are three-dimensional sculptures or otherwise. The rest are two-dimensional prints, paintings, framed art. No two pieces are from the same artist. There’s actually eight countries represented in this collection.”
Birds in Art includes work by Chicago artist Doug Stapleton, an associate curator of art for Illinois State Museum, and mediums such as cut paper, etching, linocut, scratchboard, serigraphy, textile art and woodcut.
“It’s a real opportunity for artists but it’s also an opportunity for the Forest Preserve to present this. It’s exciting because obviously the birds is a fit but also the art, which we love to feature,” Prince said.
Plum Creek Nature Center in Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve offers a decades-long bird observation area.
“The diversity of birds is great,” Prince said.
“The room where you view the birds is also where the (exhibit) collection will be.”
Bird in Art programs in 2024 at Plum Creek Nature Center include:
Nature Play Day After Hours: This free event for ages 3 to 5 is from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 9. Registration is required.
Nature Play Day: This free event for ages 3 to 5 is from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Jan. 10, 2024. Registration is due Jan. 9.
Birdhouse Gourd Painting: This event for ages 21 and older is from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 12, 2024. Attendees may bring beer or wine. Registration is due Jan. 10. Admission is $5.
Crochet for Wildlife: This free event for ages 16 and older is from noon to 2 p.m. Jan. 20, 2024. Registration is due Jan. 19.
Bird Photography Tips and Tricks: This free event for ages 16 and older is from 1 to 3 p.m. Feb. 4, 2024. Registration is due Feb. 2.
Nature Painting Bird Nerd Edition: This event for ages 21 and older is from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 23, 2024. Registration is due Feb. 20. Admission is $20.
“If you’ve never been to Goodenow, it’s a good chance to do a hike. We rent snowshoes there,” Prince said.
“Make a day of it. Come out and see the art.”
Birds in Art
When: Jan. 2-Feb. 25, 2024
Where: Plum Creek Nature Center, 27064 S. Dutton Road, Crete Township near Beecher
Tickets: free
Information: 708-946-2216; reconnectwithnature.org
Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
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