Museum renovations conserve prestigious Audubon collection

With more than 100 prints, the Louise Hauss and David Brent Miller Audubon Collection is one of the Southeast's finest and a cornerstone of the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University. Many of the works are hand-colored, and as works on paper, they are fragile and especially susceptible to light, whether from the sun or artificial sources.

To provide the utmost care and to extend the life of the pieces for as long as possible, museum staff implemented gallery improvements while closed. Now, a new motion-activated light sensor system leaves the gallery dark until someone walks in, and modified gallery doors limit further exposure. Preparators also are using an even higher value UV protective glazing in the framing process. These measures reflect the university's stewardship responsibilities and allow curators to exhibit these and other Audubon prints on a more regular basis. A new exhibition, "Nurture: Audubon's Nesting Imagery," is now on view.

Curated in response to the pandemic, "Nurture" brings together 12 striking large-scale works on paper from the elephant folios of John James Audubon's "Birds of America." Each lithograph depicts nature's family unit, playing out the natural life cycle and quest for survival. Visitors will study the detail of the nests and the vibrant colors of each bird; It is also an opportunity to reflect on how we need to be nurtured and the ways we build our nests and support structure. The work of the famed 19th-century naturalist takes on a new, timely meaning in light of our nesting and search for comfort as we face the uncertain.