This photo of a Bohemian Waxwing by Shuswap photographer Roger Beardmore is a part of the upcoming Flight Exhibit at the Salmon Arm Art Gallery. (Roger Beardmore photo)

This photo of a Bohemian Waxwing by Shuswap photographer Roger Beardmore is a part of the upcoming Flight Exhibit at the Salmon Arm Art Gallery. (Roger Beardmore photo)

Salmon Arm Art Gallery hosts exhibit focused on songbird decline

Flight exhibit features Shuswap artists at the gallery until June

The Salmon Arm Art Gallery will host an exhibit dedicated to the fragile beauty of beautiful birds and their melodic songs.

Flight is an exhibition featuring 15 artists exploring the disappearing songbird population in Canada, running from April 13 to June 1. The opening reception is Friday, April 12 at 7 p.m. with live music and refreshments, generously sponsored by Tech-Crete Processors Ltd.

Dozens of songbird species lost more than 50 percent of their populations between 1970 and 2014. Canada is North America’s bird nursery – a majority of the continent’s birds are hatched here before migrating south.

Read More: Artists illuminate the darkness with upcoming exhibit

Those living on the shores of Shuswap Lake are privileged to see and hear the diverse songbird population, as well as benefit from the ecosystem services birds provide. This exhibition aims to bring awareness and solutions to this crisis of declining songbird population through a diverse set of media; installation, photography, sculpture, drawing, painting, digital/audio and interactive artwork.

Participants include 2D artists Janet Aitken, Valerie Rogers, Frieda Martin, Joanne Sale, Jane Byrne and Lee Rawn, photographers Roger Beardmore and Clive Bryson, and 3D artists Marla Bjorgan, Hop You Haskett, Lottie Kozak, Carol Schlosar, Aidan Sparks and Cathy Stubington.

Read More: Salmon Arm Art Gallery hosts climate focused exhibit

Together with the Salmon Arm Bay Nature Enhancement Society, the Art Gallery will present the movie “The Messenger” on Thursday, April 18 at 4 p.m. This is a free/by donation event to help advance awareness on this issue. On Thursday, May 16 from 2pm to 4pm there will be a Coffee Break and Artist Talk, with many of the exhibiting artists speaking about their work. Family Saturdays continues each Saturday from 11am to 3pm, a drop-in art making time for families to be creative together.

Admission to the gallery is by donation, and gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.


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Salmon Arm Observer