The Unfeathered Bird Author and Illustrator to Visit UW

October 23, 2013
Bird art
This woodpecker is among the illustrations in Katrina Van Grouw’s “The Unfeathered Bird.”

Artist and scientist Katrina van Grouw will demonstrate how science and art can hybridize through a series of events including a public seminar, art exhibition, drawing workshop and the public unveiling of a new Geological Museum exhibit during her visit Tuesday, Oct. 29-Tuesday, Nov. 5 to the University of Wyoming.

Van Grouw is the author and illustrator of “The Unfeathered Bird,” a collection of more than 300 illustrations of birds without feathers or skin, but mostly of their skeletons and muscles. The birds are shown in lifelike positions. She earned a master of science degree in natural history illustration and worked for London’s Natural History Museum as a curator of the bird skin collections.

Following is a schedule of Van Grouw’s public events:

Thursday, Oct. 31, 4:10 p.m. -- A seminar, “A Very Fine Swan Indeed: Art, Science and the Unfeathered Bird” will be presented in the UW Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center. A reception before the event is scheduled for 3:40 p.m., and a book sale and signing will follow her talk.

Friday, Nov. 1, 6 p.m. -- She will host an exhibition of her drawings in the Museum of Vertebrates. Artwork from “The Unfeathered Bird” will be available to view and purchase. The event will include presentations by the museum’s hosts as well as a display of museum specimens.

Monday, Nov. 4, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. -- She will give a workshop on drawing natural history specimens. The course is open to 20 participants, of all skill levels. Prior registration must be completed by Nov. 1. To register, visit http://wyomingbiodiversity.org/news/event/biological-sketching-workshop-katrina-van-grouw/?eID=86.

Monday, Nov. 4, 6-8 p.m. -- She will speak about the “Fuzz to Feathers to Flight: How Birds Arose from Dinosaurs and Took to the Air” exhibition in the Geological Museum. The exhibition will explore the evolution of birds and identify when modern bird characteristics emerged through dinosaur history.

Van Grouw’s visit is part of the UW Biodiversity Institute’s mission to connect the public with knowledge and appreciation of plants, animals and ecosystems in Wyoming and beyond. Fostering partnerships between artists and scientists is one of the critical ways in which the institute works to achieve this goal. 

For more information about van Grouw’s visit, call 307-766-6240, email biodiversity@uwyo.edu, or visit wyomingbiodiversity.org.

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