Avis Marvelous: Ornithology on the Western Frontier, 1776-1896, opens Friday, September 19, 2025. Curated by Lee Silliman, this exhibition features over 50 historic full-color images created by American and European naturalists in the American West during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Each piece reflects the scientific and artistic techniques of its time, with vibrant hand-tinted engravings and richly colored chromolithographs. Many backgrounds in the artwork offer subtle suggestions of the bird’s natural habitat. Included are nineteen octavo stone lithographs from John James Audubon’s Birds of America, as well as works by noted ornithologists, Robert and John Ridgway, and Titian Ramsay Peale. These exquisite prints are complemented with historic commentary and context, species traits, and discussions on the current status these species are facing in today’s world.
This exhibition runs September 19 through November 8, 2025.
