Where Birds Meet Art . . . 

The Audubon Mural Project is a public-art initiative of the National Audubon Society and Gitler &_____ Gallery that draws attention to birds threatened by climate change. Audubon’s groundbreaking science report "Survival By Degrees" found that climate change will threaten 389 birds species—at least half of all North American birds—with extinction, and that no bird will escape the impacts of climate-change-related hazards like increased wildfire and sea-level rise. The project commissions artists to paint murals of these species on walls, doors, and other surfaces throughout New York City, and partners have carried it to communities across the country. A special thanks to the many donors and supporters who make this project possible!

Most of the bird murals are concentrated in the Harlem and Washington Heights neighborhoods of northern Manhattan, where pioneering bird artist John James Audubon once lived and is buried, and where streets, schools, and other local landmarks carry Audubon's name. But John James Audubon's legacy is also intertwined with that of America’s past and present culture of racial oppression. Learn more about his biography  and explore questions that it raises  about diversity and inclusion in the birding and conservation movements today.

New York City Audubon—one of several Audubon chapters in the process of renaming—offers monthly tours of the Harlem murals. More details and registration here. You can also take a self-guided tour using our printable map or the Google map below. When in New York City, another point of interest is the New-York Historical Society's Birds of America gallery, which features the mural project along with John James Audubon's original watercolors. And in Illinois, be sure to check out a spin-off project in Chicago's Rogers Park, featuring 13 climate-threatened birds that use habitats in that region, or the bird murals proliferating in Rockford thanks to the work of Sinnissippi Audubon. Scroll down to see where other satellite projects have popped up.

If you are an artist and would like to participate in the New York project, e-mail amp@gitlerand.com. (Because we receive a large amount of submissions, not all e-mails can be answered.) Are you a teacher who has incorporated the mural project into your science or arts class? We'd like to know that, too! Email us at muralproject@audubon.org. 

Mural Locations