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Ace and Haiku Visit Wausau, WI

Each year the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin hosts Birds in Art, an international exhibition of the world’s finest contemporary avian art. This year, ICF’s Red-crowned Cranes, Ace and Haiku, will be a part of the exhibit (right). During his visit to ICF in 2011, UK artist David Lowther sketched Ace and Haiku as they greeted visitors in Baraboo. David’s goal was to develop a piece of art to help people understand the natural history of the species, their cultural significance, and the challenges confronting the birds in their wild landscapes.

“The picture was developed from a few lines I scribbled down on a sketchpad at ICF last September. I remember being intrigued by the artistic possibilities and challenges presented by depicting predominantly white birds on a white background, so opted for a simple composition which brought out (hopefully) the grace and symbolic significance of the birds” said David.  Ace and Haiku are among the more engaging cranes on exhibit at ICF and are extremely competent at tending to eggs during the breeding season. They are enlisted each spring as surrogate incubators for the many Whooping Crane eggs produced for possible reintroduction into North America’s eastern flyway. Visit ICF early in our season and you might see the Red-crowned Cranes swap places on the nest – as the sitting crane rises to unison call with its mate, then gives the egg a quarter turn before relinquishing its spot.

View our video (left) and our update on David’s 2011 residency at ICF to learn more about his work.

Birds in Art will run through November 11, 2012 at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, 700 North 12th Street (Franklin and 12th Streets), Wausau, Wisconsin.