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Although many animals have captured the human imagination, none have done so with such frequency as have birds.  The ability to fly, an attribute that birds share only with bats and insects, inevitably leads to thoughts of freedom and a connection with the spiritual world.  Indeed, seeing birds 

in flight or birds taking off is thrilling in a unique way that speaks to our aspirations, our persistent hopes of transcending the earthly plane.

Birds are the most diverse group of land vertebrates on Earth, with over 11,000 species alive today. Recent analyses have suggested that the number of species may be closer to 20,000, despite the many extinctions, primarily caused by humans, that have happened over the years.

The Bird Show addresses this heritage of myth and imagery in an exhibition of bird related works by more than 70 artists.  Most of the participants are from the New Orleans and Gulf Coast area, with several notable exceptions.  It will be held at Studio Waveland, the handsome exhibition space established by Mitchell Gaudet and Erica Larkin Gaudet in Waveland, Mississippi, a Gulf Coast town that was almost completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  The wetlands of southern Mississippi and Louisiana, an essential home and migration stop for numerous types of birds, are close by, almost adjacent to Studio Waveland.

It is our hope that the exhibition will raise awareness of birds’ crucial role in maintaining the health of ecosystems worldwide and particularly in the Southeastern region of the country.  It is also a tribute to the enormous beauty and diversity of these creatures with whom we share the planet, who, in fact, were here long before what are now human beings evolved.  The fact that they are the descendants of dinosaurs only adds to the fascination that they inevitably hold for us.

*In addition to the visual arts presented in the exhibition, there will be a sound track of musical selections about birds created by a noted DJ.

Carol Leake

Curator, The Bird Show