Brushwood Center exhibit traces Audubon's birds to the present

Opening on March 5 at Brushwood Center for Ryerson Woods, "Where are the Birds? Retracing Audubon" is an exhibit by photographer, writer and activist Krista Elrick.

"Audubon remains controversial," Elrick said. "I think that's good because it helps us talk about difficult issues, about him and the times that he lived in."

Elrick's exhibition is an exploration on John James Audubon's birds "drawn from nature" that represent one of the lasting legacies of American ornithological art, but asking how the world he depicted compares to the world we live in today, and how our views of the artist and his work have changed.

Throughout the exhibition, Elrick delves into this idea by revisiting the history, sites and species of Audubon's work and documenting and responding to the changes since his original visits.

"It was just, 'I've got to figure out why I was not seeing the birds that he did, and I've got to better understand why he killed so many birds and traded in slaves and made boasts about his own life.' He was not the man I ever thought he was, and yet he's so revered," Elrick said.

Using her silver gelatin photographs along with archival research, Elrick's work documents how both the world and the people in it have changed, and why many are now rethinking their admiration of Audubon.

For Elrick, one of the ways to know something fully is through the lens of her cameras; for John James Audubon, it was through his pencils and pastels. For both, it was, and is, through seeing and cultivating a creative response based on a deeply held sense of wonder.

"Audubon created one of the lasting legacies of American ornithological art. His images of birds 'drawn from life' continue to inspire. I continue in that same tradition by following in Audubon's creative footsteps, sometimes responding admittedly out of frustration as to what has been lost and sometimes out of a profound sense of awe as to what I now find, or don't find, in the landscape."

Elrick's quiet, black-and-white images are a palimpsest for our times, inspiring wonder in viewers and creating an opportunity to see the landscapes, the trees, and even the birds that remain.

The seven sections of the exhibition reflect the seven episodic narratives in the accompanying book, "A Country No More: Rediscovering the Landscapes of John James Audubon."

The book provides extended context for each episode in a conversation between the two artists that spans a century and more searching for the birds.

Elrick has more than 35 years' experience as an exhibiting artist and activist. She considers herself a catalyst who initiates conversations about environmental change, particularly in the United States. She has worked with scientists and Native peoples throughout her career, all of whom have helped her to continually reframe and refine her ideas about time and narrative.

The Brushwood Center gallery is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays as well as 1-3 p.m. Sundays.

You can also register to attend a virtual talk with Elrick and historian Gregory Noble, facilitated by Brushwood Center, from 3-4 p.m. March 7 by visiting www.brushwoodcenter.org.

Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods is at 21850 N. Riverwoods Road, Riverwoods.

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