‘Avian Avatars’ take off in Newark
NEWARK – The beautiful grounds of Dawes Arboretum are a natural sanctuary for birds. But never have such kingsized birds — some more than 20 feet tall — graced the rolling hills of the botanical garden.
“Avian Avatars,” six bamboo and mixed-media sculptures by the Myth Makers, the husband-and-wife team of Andy Moerlein and Donna Dodson, can be found throughout the 2,000 acres of the Licking Township arboretum.
At one end of the grounds, overlooking a meadow, stands “The Great Owl,” a 26-foot-tall bird built of thin rods of hollow bamboo with zip-tie eyes and beak. A bench is placed inside at the base of the huge bird for visitors to sit and enjoy the same hillside view as the great horned owl.
“When I was working on it, there was a barn owl calling from the woods,” Dodson said. “Now, he (the sculpture) is looking at the meadow and looks like he’s going to go after a mouse.”
Each of the six sculptures is nearly translucent, with light and air flowing through. Built almost exclusively from natural materials — mostly bamboo from Virginia — the sculptures are embellished with recycled materials serving as eyes, topknots and some feathers.
As visitors enter the arboretum, a big bluebird titled “The Gentleman,” greets them at the gate. This blue and rust bird was built as a tribute to arboretum founder Beman Dawes and especially, his great-grandfather, Manasseh Cutler, an amateur botanist and influential in the passage of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.
All six of the sculptures were carefully planned by Dodson and Moerlein to reference Ohio birds and the culture and history of the arboretum. After a site visit to Dawes a year ago, the Bostonbased couple continued to research and plan, then built the sculptures in a New Jersey studio. With the sculptures in a caravan of trucks, Dodson and Moerlein returned to Ohio in May, spending most of the month finishing and installing their birds.
The works are designed to withstand the elements and will last up to five years, eventually disintegrating naturally. Dawes plans to keep them on display through March 2023.
Most of the large sculptures can be walked through. All have placards that give their titles and descriptions. Maps are available to help visitors locate the sculptures.
Dodson and Moerlein pay tribute to one of their favorite artists, Columbusbased Ann Hamilton, with “Towering,” a 25-foot-tall Sandhill Crane they say is as powerful and iconic as Hamilton’s art.
“Bertie’s Peacock” – with blue, yellow, gold and green plumage made of welding fabric and packing material – recalls Beman Dawes’ wife Bertie’s love of the flamboyant bird.
And two Northern cardinals – Ohio’s state bird – are presented in “Love Long Last.” (Cardinals will mate for life.) The more colorful male stands at one side of the path with the female on the other side. Dodson gave her a little more pizzazz by adding red whirligigs on her topknot.
The Myth Makers have collaborated on more than 50 such projects throughout the United States and foreign countries. Dodson is a graduate of Wellesley College and through her writing, an advocate
for the arts. Moerlein, with degrees from Dartmouth College and Cornell University, is a longtime gallery director and educator. Both are passionate about nature and the environment and consider themselves amateur birders.
“Avian Avatars” is their first Ohio project.
“Our mission with these installations is to be site-specific and unique to the area,” Moerlein said. “Dawes is an absolutely great location for these birds.”
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