“The Power Within” (Eastern Meadowlark)

Eastern Meadowlarks are one of the hardest hit grassland birds, declining by 89% between 1966 and 2015, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Losses are mainly due to their disappearing grassland habitat. Prairie is scarce in the eastern United States, and the kinds of farms that once hosted meadowlarks—small, family farms with pastureland and grassy fields—are being replaced by larger, row-cropping agricultural operations or by development. Early mowing, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of pesticides can also harm meadowlarks. 

 

When I was a professor of art at Kennesaw State University in the early 2000’s, a student brought me a dead eastern meadowlark. Unfortunately, the bird had struck a window during migration. As a result, I told the administration that the new building needed to diffuse the windows' reflection. Students started creating art to hang by the windows. I recreated the life of the meadowlark in wood.