Art at the John James Audubon Center

At the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove, contemporary art exhibitions celebrate bird biology, environmental conservation, and the history of Mill Grove. These special exhibitions are on view in the Visitor Center and Historic House, complementing permanent exhibits on bird biology and John James Audubon’s masterpiece publication The Birds of America.

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

Home Making is an exhibition by Deirdre Murphy that explores how birds, insects, plants, and humans create—and often co-create—homes and habitats. Paintings in the exhibition artistically represent migratory birds and their nests, as well as tree cavities that many bird species call home. Prints from Murphy’s Herbarium series were made by pressing native grasses and flowering plants, creatively celebrating the “herbarium” method of preserving and studying plants. An exhibition catalog is available in the gift shop.

Field Notes: Learning to See is a collaborative exhibition by Yvonne Love and Deirdre Murphy, inspired by over five decades of daily naturalist field notes kept by Yvonne’s parents, who are devoted birders and observers of the natural world. In the collaborative practice for Field Notes, Love and Murphy passed the field note bird checklists back and forth, adding and subtracting painted and dimensional details. Balancing order with improvisation, Field Notes is an homage to dedicated birdwatchers and a joyful remembering of their recorded moments. An exhibition catalog is available in the gift shop.

Fledge is a collection of photographs and stories by Holly Fasching spanning six years from Beltzville State Park, John Heinz Wildlife Refuge, the backcountry of Wyoming, and a salt flat from across the pond. Each image is paired with Fasching’s reflection on meeting the bird, her observations, and lessons learned from photographing it. Holly Fasching is a recent graduate of Lehigh University, where she studied with artist Deirdre Murphy. Also on view are artworks by Sophie Bell and Alina Yoytovich, students at Penn State University’s Abington campus working under the mentorship of Yvonne Love.  Their inclusion, along with the work of Holly Fasching, reflects the central role of mentorship in the artistic practices of Love and Murphy, and a shared commitment to observation, environmental awareness, and stewardship.

The Witness Tree installation by Rosalind Sutkowski tells a story of Mill Grove’s history, weaving layers of torn photo-montaged images of tree bark, artifacts, John James Audubon’s Birds of America, archival documents and maps, as well as natural imagery photographed onsite. Sutkowski’s sculpture documents and commemorates the events, people, and natural world of Mill Grove. Witness Tree is part of the Radical Americana series of exhibitions organized by The Clay Studio in Philadelphia as part of Philly 250.

Upcoming Exhibits

Natessa Amin: Tree of Life will be on view September 8, 2026 – March 14, 2027.

Event:

Sunday, September 13, 1-3pm

Opening Reception for Natessa Amin: Tree of Life

Celebrate the opening of the exhibition Natessa Amin: Tree of Life at the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove. Meet the artist and enjoy light refreshments. Artworks will be on view indoors and outdoors, along with an outdoor mindfulness activity.