Bird: a derogatory term for a woman in Australia, and other parts of the Englishspeaking World.
Anthropocene: a period documenting the beginning of humanity’s major impact on ecosystems and other aspects of the natural world until the present day.
The fifth annual Birdsong Exhibition: “In the Anthropocene,” a contemporary art exhibit featuring 16 female artists exploring humanity’s environmental footprint – the good aspects, as well as the bad – is on view now through Dec. 18 at the McCrory Timmerman building, located at 201 N. Main Street, in Taylor. Founding artist, Judy Blundell, said this show is getting a lot of attention for the high-level of the art pieces. “For me the highlight of the exhibit is simply the quality of the work,” said Blundell, who is a co-owner of the McCrory Timmerman building. “And we have sold several pieces already which is even better, which means we are bringing collectors out, people who are considered art patrons, who are willing to pay good money for good paintings.”
At the Oct. 28 opening, which was attended by about 80 people, two of the show’s artists were selected for a $500 People’s Choice Award.
The cowinner was Virginia Headley Maserang, who was trained as a microbiologist and then as a public health professional, whose work explores contrasting nature versus manmade through using a substance known as encaustics, which combines varnish and beeswax, and Sue Bishop, a Georgetownbased impressionistic abstract artist.
“They both had very strong pieces,” Blundell said. “Sue Bishop’s was about women’s rights, and all the nonsense, and Virginia’s piece, she works in encaustics; she builds up 3D with hot wax and encaustics.
Another featured artist in the show is Valerie Fowler, a nationally recognized artist who is also a featured muralist at the Whole Foods Markets in Austin and Chicago, and who was selected as the Festival Artist for the 2018 Texas Book Festival, among many other accolades.
“Her work is just superior,” Blundell said. “These are like $15,000 pieces. This isn’t the ladies glue-it-together kind of a show.”
