Heron Hall Exhibit
"A Laguna Field Guide"
by Christopher ReigerOn display now through April 28, 2023
Artist, illustrator, and writer Christopher Reiger is exhibiting a selection of his popular Field Guide series in the Heron Hall Gallery and Gift Shop! Each poster on view features the color column of a common or frequently observed bird species in the Laguna de Santa Rosa.
Artist Statement
As a natural history buff, I spend a lot of time thinking about how we classify and catalog life. The social implications of our evolved human impulse to categorize are generally grim, but the same proclivity allows us to better appreciate evolution and the relationship between species, subspecies, and ecological races (or ecotypes).
For the Field Guide project, I consider birds from one angle – literally, birds viewed in profile. I then breakdown each bird by color (plumage, legs, beaks/bills, and eyes) and create the column shown in the center of each poster. The colors in each column are stacked according to the percentage of a given color observed, with the largest share at the column’s top and the smallest share at the column’s base. The bird’s English common name and its scientific binomial are noted on the poster’s base, along with information on the bird’s sex, and, if relevant, plumage variation. The resulting posters are visually compelling tributes to each featured species.
I hope that the Field Guide posters will be appreciated by bird nerds, designers, and lovers of Josef Albers, but the project is also a playful way for me to both celebrate and critique the necessarily imperfect science of taxonomy.About the Artist
Originally from the rural Delmarva Peninsula on the mid-Atlantic coast, Christopher Reiger attended the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, before moving to New York City, where he lived and worked for a decade. He graduated from the MFA program at the School of Visual Arts (NYC) in 2002. His visual art has been widely exhibited in the United States, and his art criticism and essays and short-form pieces about art and natural history are included in books, art and culture magazines, and online journals. In 2011, Reiger cofounded BAASICS (Bay Area Art & Science Interdisciplinary Collaborative Sessions), a nonprofit organization dedicated to exploring contemporary topics through the juxtaposition of art and science, which concluded a wonderful seven-year run in 2018. Christopher lives in Santa Rosa with his wife and two young sons.
Upcoming Presentation with Gallery Artist
A Laguna Field Guide: An Artist's Take On Taxonomy
Presentation with Heron Hall Gallery Artist, Christopher Reiger
Saturday, January 28, 2023. 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
$10. Pre-registration required.For more information, please visit ChristopherReiger.art
Gallery Open by Appointment Only
Due to the multiple uses of Heron Hall, please schedule an appointment to see the exhibit during the week by contacting Maggie Hart.
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Heron Hall Art Gallery
If you are interested in exhibiting and selling your artwork in Heron Hall, please read through Artist Parameters & Application. We will contact you as soon as possible after we receive your application. If your application is accepted, we will complete an Artist Agreement similar to this SAMPLE. Please note, our next available opening is Autumn 2023. Thanks for your interest!
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Past Exhibiting Artists
Click on the artist's name to visit their website.
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For more information, contact Maggie Hart, Outreach Manager
by email at MaggieHart@LagunaFoundation.org[ top ]
. Banner Image: Images by Christopher Reiger