"Art has been a portal to nature since the pioneering efforts of John James Audubon’s life-sized watercolors and hand engraved prints of Birds of America. Since opening in 2011, Audubon Center at Riverlands has incorporated art into our mission to build understanding and appreciation of birds, our Great Rivers and wildlife habitat,” says Ken Buchholz, Executive Director, Audubon Center at Riverlands.
River Ark, A Site Specific Sculpture by Thomas Sleet
Thomas Sleet was commissioned in 2021 to design a work of art inspired by our site on the Mississippi River — to create another dimension for engagement with our mission of conservation and education.
Conception from Thomas Sleet:
As I began to walk the grounds of the Audubon Center, in consideration of a site for a sculptural intervention, I realized there were several key elements to embrace: the slope of the land, the color of the plants and grasses, lines of sight, the local natural materials, and the relationship of land to water, et al. It became evident to me that the river itself was a major element of this environment, key in the shaping of this landscape and also a provider of large amounts of driftwood that might speak to a connection between the land and the water. I began to consider ways in which I could use driftwood to draw lines in the land, to draw the eye across the land, to connect the prairie to the water’s edge and provide a sculptural installation of scope and scale, that would allow visitor interaction.
The work I envision for this site consists of two parallel rows of driftwood, charred, and oiled, and set vertically into the ground. I will orient this installation along some relative geologic and celestial alignments such as: equinox, solstice, east / west line, sunrise / sunset designation, and elevation of slope.
Project Description:
For this site specific sculpture, artist Thomas Sleet, envisioned two parallel lines of driftwood posts, set vertically into the ground, stretching approximately 60 ft. in length; the posts will be between 4 inch and 7 inches in diameter; the posts will be 4 foot tall at one end and 8 ft tall at the other end of the line. This parallel arrangement will contain around 60 to 70 qty. total units [posts] in graduating size.
The charred posts, used in this installation have received a blackened patina and a boiled linseed oil coating. The top ends of posts will be fitted with mirrors to reflect the sun and sky at different angles at different times of day. The viewer will be able to contemplate the work from a distance, close up and from inside of the installation.
Mixed-Media Sculptures by Alana Tibbets
Conception by Alana Tibbets:
"The use of hybrid entities (combinations of human and animal characteristics) in mythology and storytelling is ancient. Cultures throughout human history have used such creatures as metaphors for human experiences and as allegories for social interactions. The combination of relatability and seriousness of hybrid characters makes them an effective method to advance a message, hence their continued prevalence in popular culture.
The purpose of my sculptures is to spark imagination. Ideally, viewers will recognize a relationship between themselves and the artworks, and make connections between their lives and those of living birds. I design programs that use my art as a gateway to further discovery. I utilize collage (both fabric and paper), poetry, map-building and book arts. I encourage participants to discover a point of connection and feel free to follow it in an unique artistic journey."
Tibbets maintains the following tenets:
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Giving the viewer permission to relate to the artwork in any way that has meaning to their lives at that point in time
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Promoting a sense of playfulness and joy
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Encouraging discovery into the science behind our knowledge of the natural world
Each cloth-based figure in this unique set represents a species that migrates through the area. Four installations will take place, beginning Spring of 2024, occurring approximately every five months. Bird species are chosen to cover all body shapes, colors, habitats used, and seasons of arrival.
Each installation will be timed to coincide with the migratory arrival of the real birds. Sculptures are placed in species-appropriate habitats, in poses suggesting some form of movement through the environment. They carry bags (backpacks/baskets/satchels) to create an impression of travel.
The sculptures are made with all-natural, mostly recycled, materials: cloth (wool and cotton) bodies from the waist up, sand and/or sawdust stuffing, either an internal weight bag or external mounting anchors, and no weather-proofing.
Alton Flyway Mural
Location: 136 Front Street, Alton, IL 62002
Painted: October 2023
About the Mural: Artist James K. Schmidt created the “Alton Flyway” mural for the east wall of the Mississippi Landing building in Alton, Illinois, in 2009, a concept muralist Robert Fishbone brought to life in 2023. The mural is the result of a community collaboration—including Alton Main Street and the Audubon Center at Riverlands, located in the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary across the Mississippi River from Alton—to bring attention to the area’s natural beauty and biodiversity while contributing to a renaissance of the once-bustling industrial center’s downtown. A quintessential river town, Alton is nestled along the limestone bluffs high above the Mississippi River, offering impressive views of the river and mostly undeveloped floodplain beyond. The mural represents the promise of a healthy community for birds and people at the heart of the Mississippi Flyway.
About the Birds: “Alton Flyway” features the plethora of birds that grace the skies above the city of Alton, including terns, gulls, and raptors that travel the Mississippi Flyway in search of food, shelter, and safe passage. Forty percent of the nation's migratory waterfowl use the river corridor during their spring and fall migrations, as do sixty percent of all North American birds. Climate change has brought pronounced changes to the eons-old migratory pathway, including longer lasting floods and intense droughts that are threatening essential habitat that myriad birds need to complete their annual life cycles. Audubon’s Survival By Degrees report identified 64 species in the Mississippi Flyway that are highly vulnerable to extinction this century if global warming continue apace; climate models show that keeping warming to 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit gives many of these species a better shot at survival.
About the Artists: James K. Schmidt was chairman of the Studio Art Department at Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, just 10 miles north of Alton. Throughout his career he drew inspiration from nature and local beauty, distilling the landscape to essential line, grace, and form. “The theme of birds in flight for me relates to the space and freedom of the river—qualities we value so much,” he wrote of his concept for the Alton Flyway mural. Since forming On the Wall Productions with Sarah Linquist in 1974, mural artist Robert Fishbone has made it the company's mission to transform anonymous walls into inspiring, meaningful, and memorable artworks—an effort he now continues in a new chapter of mural making with his daughter Liza Fishbone (and occasionally her brother, Tyler). As public artists, they believe in designing and painting murals that are relevant to a community, so the community feels it can take ownership of the artwork after they leave.
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