FLOCK is a socially engaged project which looks at our daily interactions with birds as essential elements in our complex relationship with nature. FLOCK draws connections between subculture of birdwatching, historical field guides and our broader environmental values through a combination of active dialogue & collaborative community printmaking.
FLOCK was installed as part of the exhibition, “The Language of Watching” from May-June 2019.
“The Language of Watching” an exhibition of works by Rachel Simmons on display at Atlantic Center for the Arts Alt_Space Gallery in 2019
This 2017 workshop at the University of Tampa was the third iteration of FLOCK, a socially engaged art project in which participants & I talk about birds, sometimes go birdwatching, and always make bird prints. Every time I have an opportunity to expand FLOCK, it always goes a bit differently, depending on the group I’m working with as well as the space & time we have, but there are always lively interactions & bursts of creativity. In this video, RY McCullough, the printmaking professor at UT, is helping the students pull relief prints based on bird silhouettes from Peterson's field guides.
FLOCK was exhibited at the Orlando Science Center during October 2017 through January 2018 as part of the exhibition "Steady Observation: The Intersection of Scientific Inquiry, Art and Life" curated by Amy Galpin.
Visitors filled out surveys for the project about their favorite and least favorite birds. You can view selected surveys here.
FLOCK was exhibited at the Orlando Science Center during October 2017 through January 2018 as part of the exhibition "Steady Observation: The Intersection of Scientific Inquiry, Art and Life" curated by Amy Galpin.
Visitors filled out surveys for the project about their favorite and least favorite birds. You can view selected surveys here.
FLOCK was exhibited at the Orlando Science Center September 2017 throughJanuary 2018 as part of the exhibition "Steady Observation: The Intersection of Scientific Inquiry, Art and Life" curated by Amy Galpin. This video walks through the installation after prints from University of Tampa students were added in November.
Students at University of Tampa participating in FLOCK in October 2017.
Ry McCullough and his students at University of Tampa participating in FLOCK in October 2017.
Students at University of Tampa participating in FLOCK in October 2017.
FLOCK was exhibited at the Orlando Science Center during October 2017 through January 2018 as part of the exhibition "Steady Observation: The Intersection of Scientific Inquiry, Art and Life" curated by Amy Galpin. University of Tampa students contributed these prints to the installation during the show.
Visitors filled out surveys for the project about their favorite and least favorite birds. You can view selected surveys here.
FLOCK was exhibited at the Orlando Science Center during October 2017 through January 2018 as part of the exhibition "Steady Observation: The Intersection of Scientific Inquiry, Art and Life" curated by Amy Galpin. University of Tampa students contributed these prints to the installation during the show.
FLOCK was exhibited at the Orlando Science Center during October 2017 through January 2018 as part of the exhibition "Steady Observation: The Intersection of Scientific Inquiry, Art and Life" curated by Amy Galpin. University of Tampa students contributed these prints to the installation during the show.
FLOCK was exhibited at the Orlando Science Center during October 2017 through January 2018 as part of the exhibition "Steady Observation: The Intersection of Scientific Inquiry, Art and Life" curated by Amy Galpin. University of Tampa students contributed over 100 prints to the installation during the show.
FLOCK was exhibited at the Orlando Science Center during October 2017 through January 2018 as part of the exhibition "Steady Observation: The Intersection of Scientific Inquiry, Art and Life" curated by Amy Galpin.
Visitors filled out surveys for the project about their favorite and least favorite birds. You can view selected surveys here.
The Fusion: STEAM gallery at the Orlando Science Center offers a unique installation opportunity for FLOCK, allowing the birds to travel up the walls and around into adjacent spaces.
The original FLOCK from Nebraska was expanded by students enrolled in 2D Foundations at Rollins College. We began this two week project with a discussion about birds and the culture of bird watching. Soon after, we went for a walk along Lake Virginia to investigate the heron and anhinga nests through binoculars. For some, this was their first birdwatching experience. As we worked in the studio over the next few weeks, we discussed our favorite birds, filled out bird surveys and shared updates on the pair of heron chicks who seemed reluctant to leave their cozy nest. The work was on view at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum on the Rollins campus from April through May 2016.
Before we installed FLOCK at CFAM in 2016, the participants arranged the birds on a magnetic wall. That way, they could easily move the birds around until the entire composition worked. This was their first time integrating their additions into FLOCK, and they really enjoyed seeing how their bird prints integrated with the birds from the Lincoln, NE print action.
FLOCK began in Lincoln, NE, where I facilitated a "print action" in which local art/bird enthusiasts assisted me in creating a flock of printed bird silhouettes at Constellation Studios. During the print action, participants filled out a survey asking them to list their favorite birds and a nuisance bird. As we worked, I heard many bird stories about canoeing with loons in Michigan; cowbirds laying their eggs in cardinal nests; seeing a whooping crane for the first time in a ditch by the side of rural Nebraska highway; a young child’s simple love for owls; the excitement of seeing the massive wingspan of a wandering albatross in Antarctica; looking for someone’s escaped parrot in the neighborhood; the sweet song of a meadowlark; seeing a bush absolutely full of cedar waxwings or being amazed at the small stature of a black capped chickadee. In a way, nothing has changed since the early years of the last century when the birth of birdwatching encouraged the general public to embrace birds as creatures worth protecting because they were like us in so many ways. The Nebraskans I met seem to know birds as they might know their human neighbors (and similarly, some are loved, while others reviled). Many people get angry or worried when cardinal nests are invaded by cowbirds or when the black capped chickadees do not return in healthy numbers. Many named Bluejays, Crows, Starlings, Cowbirds and Grackles as birds they considered a nuisance, though some did not see any birds as a nuisance. Comments about nuisance birds revealed that it was mainly the birds’ behaviors that landed them in that category; i.e., large chicks who “refuse” to leave the nest; exhibiting noisy, aggressive or rude behaviors towards other birds or humans and those with poor hygiene a.k.a the mess makers. Interestingly, being a favorite bird had as much to do with the bird’s looks as it did with behavior, but being a nuisance bird was almost exclusively pinned on behavior—the bird’s size, coloring or appearance in flight weren’t mentioned at all.
FLOCK taking shape in Lincoln, NE, where I facilitated a "print action" in which local art/bird enthusiasts assisted me in creating a flock of printed bird silhouettes at Constellation Studios.
FLOCK taking shape in Lincoln, NE, where I facilitated a "print action" in which local art/bird enthusiasts assisted me in creating a flock of printed bird silhouettes at Constellation Studios.
At Constellation Studios in Lincoln, NE, FLOCK, was installed on wires which ran across the width of the gallery space. They were secured to the wire with simple, wooden clothespins.
At Constellation Studios in Lincoln, NE, FLOCK, was installed on wires which ran across the width of the gallery space. They were secured to the wire with wooden clothespins.
At Constellation Studios in Lincoln, NE, FLOCK was created by myself with individuals from the community. Each bird print is unique in some way, and participants were encouraged to experiment with overlapping textures and patterns. There are many species of bird represented, and all can be identified by looking at the silhouette.
At Constellation Studios in Lincoln, NE, FLOCK was created by myself with individuals from the community. Each bird print is unique in some way, and participants were encouraged to experiment with overlapping textures and patterns. There are many species of bird represented, and all can be identified by looking at the silhouette.
At Constellation Studios in Lincoln, NE, FLOCK was created by myself with individuals from the community. Each bird print is unique in some way, and participants were encouraged to experiment with overlapping textures and patterns. There are many species of bird represented, and all can be identified by looking at the silhouette.
At Constellation Studios in Lincoln, NE, FLOCK was created by myself with individuals from the community. Each bird print is unique in some way, and participants were encouraged to experiment with overlapping textures and patterns. There are many species of bird represented, and all can be identified by looking at the silhouette.
At Constellation Studios in Lincoln, NE, FLOCK was created by myself with individuals from the community. Each bird print is unique in some way, and participants were encouraged to experiment with overlapping textures and patterns. There are many species of bird represented, and all can be identified by looking at the silhouette.
At Constellation Studios in Lincoln, NE, FLOCK was created by myself with individuals from the community. Each bird print is unique in some way, and participants were encouraged to experiment with overlapping textures and patterns. There are many species of bird represented, and all can be identified by looking at the silhouette.
At Constellation Studios in Lincoln, NE, FLOCK was created by myself with individuals from the community. Each bird print is unique in some way, and participants were encouraged to experiment with overlapping textures and patterns. There are many species of bird represented, and all can be identified by looking at the silhouette.
At Constellation Studios in Lincoln, NE, FLOCK was created by myself with individuals from the community. Each bird print is unique in some way, and participants were encouraged to experiment with overlapping textures and patterns. There are many species of bird represented, and all can be identified by looking at the silhouette.