‘For the Birds: The Birdsong Project’ coming to Aspen this summer
Christine Haines/Audubon GBBC
“For the Birds: The Birdsong Project” and bird conservation non-profit the National Audubon Society announced a summer slate of event programming in Aspen with a collection of local organizations and events at local festivals.
“Birds have inspired art for millennia with their multi-colored plumage, their long-distance migrations, and their birdsong. Birds also tell us that they need our help. Through the Birdsong Project we can inspire people across the western hemisphere to protect birds and the places they need — today and tomorrow,” said Dr. Chad Wilsey, chief scientist at the National Audubon Society in a prepared statement.
Kicking off the summer’s events, Audubon Rockies and Anderson Ranch Arts Center will partner on a workshop June 3 through 7 called “Wildlife Wonder.” Participants ages 6-8 will learn how to draw, paint, and build their favorite animals in realistic and creative forms using various artistic mediums, such as bookmaking and weaving. Audubon Rockies Community Naturalists will help participants explore birds through the themes of migration, bird song, and adaptations.
The Community Naturalists deliver environmental education programs to people of all ages to create lasting connections with nature in their communities across Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming.
“For the Birds: The Birdsong Project” and the National Audubon Society will partner with the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) for a musical performance from the GRAMMY-winning Birdsong effort on Saturday, July 27, from noon-2 p.m. Guests are invited to bring a picnic lunch and listen to an opening educational talk with Audubon’s Chief Scientist Chad Wilsey, who will share examples of how birds connect people across the hemisphere through their migratory journeys and how art can help drive conservation action.
Students from the Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) will arrange an afternoon performance at ACES Catto Center at Toklat.
Two additional pop-ups in town will take place Saturday, July 27, in collaboration with AMFS, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Aspen Saturday Market, where The Birdsong Project and Audubon will have copies of the GRAMMY-winning “For the Birds: The Birdsong Project” 20LP vinyl box set on display and available for purchase, as well as information on how to support birds by becoming a National Audubon Society member.
On Saturday night from 7-9 p.m., The Birdsong Project and Audubon will take over the plaza outside Paradise Bakery with a musical evening arranged and performed by AMFS students.
“We’re very happy to be bringing the Birdsong Project to Aspen this summer,” says music supervisor Randall Poster in a press release. “We are thrilled with the variety of events and activities planned and promise some lovely surprises, as well. Music by the birds and for the birds.”
The Birdsong Project and Audubon were originally introduced to local Aspen partners, starting with ACES, by resident artist, environmentalist, and philanthropist Isa Catto. Inspired by The Birdsong Project, she created her own original artwork featuring environmentally-threatened birds printed on notebooks, tote bags, and silk scarves — all available for purchase via the Isa Catto Studio website in support of Audubon’s conservation mission.
“I became a birder after my godfather gave me an Audubon membership and my first pair of binoculars,” she said in the press release. “Bird sightings permeate my childhood memories … and I know birding laid the foundation for being an artist. It made me more observant, and I developed patience. I do know that when you look at anything in the natural world, wonder comes calling. Reverence keeps your heart open and pushes away absolute thinking.”
Co-created by Grammy Award-winning Music Supervisor Randall Poster (Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson, Todd Haynes) and Executive Producer Rebecca Reagan, “For the Birds: The Birdsong Project” was released as an art-filled, 20-LP box set in 2022 featuring Yoko Ono, Elvis Costello, Laurie Anderson, Yo-Yo Ma, Beck, Karen O, Tilda Swinton, Robert Pattinson, Jeff Goldblum, Greta Gerwig, and many more to benefit the National Audubon Society. It has been dedicated to protecting birdlife representing cultures from 31 countries, from small towns in Northwest Africa to the rural countryside of Ireland and bustling cities like Paris, Tokyo, and New York.
For more information visit https://www.audubon.org/events/aspen-summer-birds-2024.
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