RENO - Thanks to the exclusive sponsorship of Goldcorp USA, a special traveling exhibition of watercolor prints by one of the most important artists of the nineteenth century, John James Audubon, will be on view at the Humboldt County Library in Winnemucca through Aug. 22.
The exhibition "Explorer, Naturalist, Artist: John James Audubon and The Birds of America," features 20 of Audubon's most dramatic and life-sized watercolor depictions from the first-edition printing of The New York Historical Society Edition. All of the artworks in this exhibition are from the Dana Rose Richardson Memorial Collection of Audubon Prints at the Nevada Museum of Art.
The public is invited to an opening reception at the Humboldt County Library to celebrate the presentation of these works in Winnemucca on Wednesday, Aug. 1, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the library meeting room. A spokesperson from the museum will be present to discuss the art during the reception.
The traveling exhibition will visit three northern Nevada towns: Winnemucca, Elko and Ely. Upon hearing of the exhibition, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval commented, "It is my pleasure to congratulate the Nevada Museum of Art and Goldcorp USA for bringing 'Explorer, Naturalist, Artist: John James Audubon and The Birds of America' to Winnemucca, Elko and Ely. The exhibition of this collection is a fitting complement to our 'Discover Your Nevada' campaign, and another reason our rural communities should be visited by people from across the state."
From 1820 to 1838, Audubon traversed the eastern and central United States to depict hundreds of species of birds. While not the first person to attempt to portray all the birds of America, Audubon was recognized for nearly half a century as the country's predominant wildlife artist. His watercolors and drawings not only catalog the birds of America, but capture the essence and beauty of nature itself and the interrelationships between the animals and their habitats.
An avid hunter and keen observer, Audubon developed his own method of drawing the birds as if they were alive - using wire to support the bird so that he could "compose" the specimen into lifelike postures that mimicked those he had witnessed in nature.
In 1863, about 10 years after Audubon's death, his penniless widow Lucy sold the family's remaining collection of Audubon material to the New York Historical Society, including the more than 400 original watercolors that were the basis for his Birds of America series. The series, Audubon's magnum opus containing 434 original watercolors, remains the standard which all bird artists after him, including Roger Tory Peterson and David Sibley, are measured.
"Explorer, Naturalist, Artist: John James Audubon and The Birds of America" will be exhibited through Aug. 22 at the Humboldt County Library located at 85 E. 5th St. in Winnemucca. The library is open Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and closed Sundays. Admission to the library and exhibition is always free. For more information, please call 623-6388.
The Nevada Museum of Art is a museum of ideas. The only accredited art museum in the state, it is a private, non-profit organization supported by the generosity of its membership as well as by sponsorships and grants. Through creative programming and scholarship, the museum provides the opportunity for people to encounter, engage and enjoy a diversity of art experiences. The artworks in this exhibition were recently acquired for the museum's permanent collection by friends and family in memory of Reno-resident Dana Rose Richardson who passed away in 2010.
For more information visit www.nevadaart.org.
Exclusive sponsorship for this traveling exhibition is provided by Goldcorp USA. Goldcorp is the fastest-growing lowest-cost senior gold producer. Goldcorp has operations and development projects in Nevada and throughout the Americas.
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