BIRDS: The Science of Illustration
The North Carolina Arboretum celebrates the art and science of birds with “H. Douglas Pratt and John C. Sill's BIRDS: The Science of Illustration,” a new 3000 sq. ft. exhibit opening May 21 at The Baker Exhibit Center.
In conjunction with the Arboretum’s celebration as an official part of the NC Birding Trail Guide, the exhibit explores how art and science work together in Pratt and Sill’s artistic illustrations of birds.
Pratt is an ornithologist, artist, and photographer as well as Research Curator of Birds at the NC State Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. As a widely respected zoological illustrator, author and illustrator, Pratt has contributed to publications such as National Geographic Society's Field Guide to the Birds of North America and the multi-volume Handbook of Birds of the World.
Sill has worked as a freelance artist and illustrator since 1971 and has been exhibited in highly acclaimed shows and appeared in a number of books and magazines. He has been the illustrator for the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Bird Identification Calendar since the project began in 1980 and he is an instructor for the Institute for Field Ornithology sponsored by the American Birding Association.
Additional exhibit features include:
- A bird nest collection, containing nests and egg replicas of local songbirds.
- Vignettes of Mounted Specimens, skins and skeletons.
- Historical Bird Guides and Illustration Plates
- An interactive bird song display to test and instruct visitors on recognizing songbirds by vocalizations.
- A habitat match-up interactive Audubon kiosk.
- Make your own bird guide illustration activity table
- Discovery Packs containing binoculars for children to check out birds in the gardens are also available for families to enhance their exploration.