The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Museum of Natural History displaying Andy Warhol series
Cleveland museum puts back up Andy Warhol’s ‘Endangered Species’ to help shine a light on some conservation efforts, past and present
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is showing off some old favorites. ¶ Apparently for only the third time since they were acquired through donation in the mid 1980s, the 10 silk screen works by late pop artist Andy Warhol that make up his “Endangered Species” project are on display at the museum — through March 10 in the Fawick Gallery.
The museum’s set of the vividly colored treatments of photos of these select creatures is one of 150 in the world, according to a news release from CMNH. Warhol took a similar approach to them as he had done with subjects such as a Campbell’s Soup can or Marilyn Monroe. “Each of the images, it’s an iconic image unto itself, and then when it’s treated with these brilliant colors, this sort of electric style that he employs, they’re really mesmerizing,” says Harvey Webster, CMNH wildlife officer and museum ambassador, during a recent phone interview. “It’s a delight to see them.” So, um, why are you guys holding out on us most of the time? “People always ask, ‘Well, if it’s so great, why don’t you keep them on display all the time?’” Webster says. “We might have 5 or 6 million objects in the collections of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History as a result of our scientists collecting, as a result of our acquiring collections from notable collectors, so there’s not really room in our display galleries for everything. And it behooves us to maintain some variety in what we’re presenting and to maintain fresh interest in some of those collections that we have.”
Warhol created “Endangered Species” at the urging of New York art dealers Ronald and Frayda Feldman after learning of Warhol’s concern for ecological issues, including beach erosion. “Warhol had land out at Montauk on Long Island,” Webster says. “He had beachfront property, and he was very concerned about the preservation of those natural areas. “The Feldmans convinced him to use his fame, unique pop-art style to draw the same attention to these animals that he’d done for Campbell’s and Marilyn,” he continues. “And, hopefully in doing so, raise awareness to their plight to an entirely new audience of people who might become interested in what’s causing them to be endangered and then work toward their preservation.” The set was purchased upon the series’ completion by Clevelanders Robert S. and Sylvia Eitman, who then donated it to the museum, according to the release. In addition to interest in the works themselves — “African Elephant (Loxodonta Africana),” “Bighorn Ram (Odis Canadensis),” “Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis),” “Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca),” “Grevy’s Zebra (Equus grevyi),” “Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)” and “Siberian Tiger (Leo tigris altaica)” among them — museum officials hope the exhibition shines a light on efforts, both older and more recent, to preserve endangered species. As for looking back, one of the pieces — “Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)” — is very helpful in that endeavor. “The bald eagle is one of the great conservation success stories,” Webster says. “They were critically endangered in the Lower 48 in the ‘60s and ‘70, but since that time they have recovered brilliantly and now are back.” In Ohio, he says, the number of active bald eagle nests has risen from four in 1979 to about 400 today. About 100 years ago, Francis Hobart Herrick, who had been a professor of biology at what was then Western Reserve University in Cleveland and who would go on to co-found the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, conducted what Webster calls “pioneering studies” of the home life of the bald eagle. “He built these extraordinary treehouses that put him on the same level as these giant eagle aeries, most notably by the group nest in Vermillion, Ohio,” Webster says. “He had his tent up there, and he gained the confidence of the birds so he could take photographs … throughout the 1920s of the home life of the eagles — feeding their babies, bringing food in, the developing youngsters in the nests, the first flights. I mean, it was brilliant.” And the museum itself became involved when the number of nests in the state dropped to four, starting a captive breeding program. “We got a number of permanently injured bald eagles from the United States government, and we tried various ways of getting them to reproduce in captivity, which they didn’t seem to want to do own their own,” Webster says. “We became the first institution in the world to successfully breed bald eagles by artificial insemination, and the resulting eaglets we raised till about 3 weeks of age. “It was part of a conservation program the Ohio Division of Wildlife engineered that was instrumental in stabilizing the population and ultimately facilitating its return.” Now, Webster says, you can find eagles nests in spots that include locations east of Cleveland, such as Bruce Yee Park in Eastlake and in Mentor Marsh, and to the west in spots that include Sandy Ridge Reservation in North Ridgeville and Redwood Elementary School, where a webcam has been installed near the nest. “It’s just really gratifying that they’re showing to be very adaptable to the human landscape and freed from the damage that was caused to them by pesticides, notably DDT, in a cleaned-up environment.” CMNH also is using the exhibition to give some attention to current efforts, such as those to “headstart” spotted turtles — “these adorably cute black turtles with little yellow spots on them,” as Webster describes them — by guarding them from predators until they’re big enough to better fend for themselves. Plus, guests can learn about the museum’s Natural Areas program, which seeks to preserve biodiversity in a combined 10,000 acres in spots such as the aforementioned Mentor Marsh. “We think Warhol would have smiled upon the nature of this kind of program and that land saved.”