I Set Out Alone: John James Audubon in the Mid-Atlantic

I Set Out Alone: John James Audubon in the Mid-Atlantic is an exhibit which celebrates the bicentennial anniversary of Audubon's arrival in American and first residence in Pennsylvania - Mill Grove, now Audubon, PA. The exhibit runs May 10 - July 27, 2003.

I Set Out Alone: John James Audubon in the Mid-Atlantic is supported by the Friends of the Reading Museum with Exhibit Patron - The Wild Bird Center, and Underwriters - Callowhill Art Gallery, Ltd. and Kenneth Lakin. The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission have provided additional support. Regular Museum admission is $5 adults and $3 children 4 to 17. From May 23 - September 23, admission will be $7 adults and $5 children 4 to 17 due to the blockbuster DINOSAURS! exhibit. Members and children under 4 are always free. Museum hours are Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday 11am to 5pm, Wednesday 11am to 8pm and Sunday 12pm to 5pm. The Member Opening Reception is May 10, 2003 with Ron Roth, Museum Director and CEO and exhibit curator lecturing on "Audubon in Pennsylvania" at 5:30pm and reception following from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.

The goal of this exhibit is to enlarge the visitor's understanding of Audubon's life and work in the Mid-Atlantic region. Ron Roth, exhibit curator comments, "This exhibition will be a unique contribution to the scholarship on America's greatest wildlife artist, John James Audubon. It will focus on the critically important role Pennsylvania and New Jersey played in the formation of his artistic vision and his development as an artist. Audubon's artistic output in the region is sometimes overlooked, understandable perhaps in light of his historic work in Louisiana, the Carolinas, Florida and Newfoundland. Nonetheless, his well-documented excursion to the Pennsylvania Pine Barrens and much of his work in New Jersey and Philadelphia over the course of 25 years are representative of his mature style. This work will be a considerable source of appreciation and enjoyment for people in this region and our visitors from around the world."

The exhibit will feature an exceptional selection of rare prints and a complete four volume set of the original, Havell edition of Audubon's The Birds of America, perhaps the most important natural history publication of all time, and one of the unsurpassed achievements of American art. Also featured will be an original, complete set of the smaller Royal Octavo edition of The Birds of America, as well as some of Audubon's greatest images including Red-Tailed Hawk, Carolina Parakeets, and Snowy Owl. There will also be loans from the John James Audubon Museum in Henderson Kentucky and the New-York Historical Society that is loaning one of the original copper engraving plates of the House Wren which will be complemented by one of the original Havell prints printed from that plate. Visitors will also see Audubon's writing desk and life mask and a recently discovered artist's proof of the Fork-Tailed Flycatcher especially interesting due to Audubon's written observations of it near his Pennsylvania home in Mill Grove.

This exhibit has much more, including The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America using the Museum's own complete Octavo Edition and various memorabilia of Audubon's. Also, the Reading Public Museum's extensive ornithological collection will enrich the exhibit with specimens depicted in the prints shown. There will also be a family-focused and educational corner in the exhibit.

Related Programming for I Set Out Alone: John James Audubon in the Mid-Atlantic:

Wednesday Audubon Lecture Series. "The Entrepreneurial Artist: The Heroic Quest of John James Audubon" with Director Ron Roth May 28th at 7pm. "John James Audubon's 'Little Work:' the Royal Octavo Edition of the Birds of America with Dr. Ron Tyler June 4 at 7pm. "The Birds of America and the Engraver's Art" with Professor Evan Summer June 18 at 7pm. Full Series Cost: Member $15, Non-Member $25. Individual Lectures: $9 each. Call 610.371.5850 x229 to register. Walk-ins welcome.

Audubon in the Arboretum Sunday bird watching in the Arboretum led by members of the Baird Ornithological Society. Sundays, June 8 and July 6 at 2pm. Free. Meet at the Museum entrance.

Special Ornithological Background of Exhibit's Featured Birds Members of the Baird Ornithological Society will be available to provide background information on the species represented in the exhibition. Sundays June 8, 22 and July 6. Free with Admission.

Discovery Talk - "The Birds of Berks County" with Mr. Bill Uhrich. Sunday, June 22 at 3pm. Free with Admission. Auditorium. Bird-watching walk in the Arboretum after lecture.

Raptors Demonstration with Ornithologist Earl Shiver. Sunday, July 20, 2003. Noon to 5pm. Free. Outside. Mr. Shiver will bring five raptors including a golden eagle, large hawks and falcons.

Our Museum Shop will have Audubon prints available ranging from $100 to $500.

A special thank you to the Linderman Library, Lehigh University.