Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Rachana Rajendra Neotropical Migrant Bird Sanctuary

The large birds you on the fencing near the entrances to the Rachana Rajendra Neotropical Migrant Bird Sanctuary/Baker Woodlot were created by two MSU students, Olivia Boeberitz (FW, Class of 2020) and Amelia Gardner (IBIO & Studio Art, Class of 2020). Olivia and Amelia were part of a class that explored communicating science through art. Amelia and Olivia created paintings of three species: the Pileated Woodpecker, American Robin, and Baltimore Oriole. Visitors to the Sanctuary are likely to see (or hear!) woodpeckers and robins all year. The Baltimore Oriole is a neotropical migrant that visits East Lansing each Spring. There are six paintings in total, a male and female of each species, installed on the fence around the Sanctuary.

Artist Statements

Olivia Boeberitz: Art has always acted as a bridge between people and the environment. Whether it be through poetry or painting, art can be an emotional canvas to communicate scientific ideas. The Rachana Rajendra Neotropical Migrant Bird Sanctuary is the perfect opportunity to establish such a connection. Not only is the sanctuary a living memorial for Rachana Rajendra, but a foundation for the community to engage with the ecosystem around them.

It is this connection that I focused on when creating my paintings. To me, these birds not only encourage, but celebrate the engagement we can have with our environment. They are a call to step inside, to listen closer, and to treasure our local ecosystem. They are the merge of art and science. I hope that when looking at my birds, you feel challenged to learn more. To ask more questions. To take a deeper look.

Amelia Gardner: I have always had a deep interest in both art and natural science, and I was delighted to have the opportunity to learn about ways to combine them in the class that preceded this project.

As a lifelong Michigan resident, I grew up familiar with the species we painted, but I gained a new appreciation for them over the course of this project- particularly the humble American Robin. Looking through dozens of photos of the birds really brought to my attention the subtle variations between individuals. Acrylic paint has always been among my favorite artistic media, and in these paintings I experimented with combining paint pens and brushes for some of the details. Before the class, I was unfamiliar with the Sanctuary, and had heard the name “Baker Woodlot” but had never come to visit. I hope that by providing new, eye-catching art to the trail entrances, we might draw in MSU students and community members to discover the Sanctuary for themselves.

Rajendra Bird Sanctuary inspires creation of new undergraduate course