Butterflies Win & Video Installations Run at NMWA

Children’s book illustrator Sylvia Long has received the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s (NMWA) 2012 Bull-Bransom Award. Long was selected for the award, given annually for excellence in childrens’ books with a wildlife and nature focus, for her 2011 picture book A Butterfly Is Patient, written by Dianna Hutts Aston. The honor follows in the tradition of such prestigious children’s book illustrator honors as the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King and Hans Christian Andersen awards. Long was presented with a medal and a $5,000 cash award. The museum named the award for Charles Livingston Bull and Paul Bransom, among the first American artist-illustrators to specialize in wildlife subjects.

“Sylvia Long’s illustrations were lauded for their detail and striking compositions by this year’s Bull-Bransom judges, who used the adjectives ‘delightful,’ ‘engaging,’ and ‘absolutely gorgeous’ among others to compliment her stellar work,” said Curator of Art Adam Harris. “Long’s illustrations fly off the page and enhance the wonderfully written text.”

And this is WAY cool: May 26, 2012 – April 28, 2013, NMWA will exhibit video naturalist Sam Easterson’s video installation “Running Wild: A Video Installation by Sam Easterson.”

“Using special animal-borne cameras and “nest cams” hidden in wildlife habitat, Easterson captures life from the point of view of creatures as diverse as gyrfalcons, bison and squirrels,” NMWA reports. “Now the ground-breaking videographer has prepared an installation created specifically for exhibition at the National Museum of Wildlife Art.” The video will be displayed on seven flat-screen monitors. The installation is the first such project at NMWA, and they’re diving in full-on; the work will run for close to a year.

Harris explained the museum’s goals. “We are always interested in the work of artists who challenge notions of what the term ‘wildlife art’ can mean,” he said. “Easterson’s work is of particular interest to us because it shifts our vision from looking at an animal to seeing things from the animal’s perspective.” Easterson’s work has been exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Walker Art Center, the New Museum and the International Center of Photography. It’s also appeared on Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel.