Joy Kiser, author of America’s Other Audubon, to speak at Dallas Museum of Art
Audubon Dallas and the North Texas Master Naturalists present author Joy M. Kiser at the Dallas Museum of Art Saturday, June 23 at 1:00pm. Ms. Kiser’s book, America’s Other Audubon, tells the remarkable story of self-taught naturalist and illustrator, Genevieve Jones, and her life’s work, Illustrations of the Nests and Eggs of the Birds of Ohio. A sampling of Jones’s exquisitely detailed lithographs of birds’ nests will also be on display, on loan from the Museum of Nature & Science Mudge Library. The talk is free with admission to the museum.
Genevieve Jones was born in rural Ohio in 1847. Her father encouraged her interest in ornithology while she was a child. She once found a unique bird’s nest and discovered that no book existed to help her identify the bird that made it. As a young woman she viewed John James Audubon’s drawings of the “Birds of America” at the Centennial Exhibition, and decided that a companion volume, depicting the nests and eggs, was necessary. Genevieve and her friend began collecting nests and learning the art of scientific illustration. But after completing only a few drawings, she contracted typhoid fever and died at the age of thirty-two.
The Jones family vowed to continue the work after Genevieve’s death, and eventually completed lithographs of the nests of 130 bird species known to nest in Ohio. Though the book won a bronze medal at the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893, fewer than a hundred copies were printed, and even fewer sold. The beauty and quality of the illustrations themselves, as well as the interesting story behind the work, are brought to light in Joy Kiser’s book. Audubon Dallas and the North Texas Chapter of Master Naturalists are excited to present the opportunity to see Jones’ artwork and hear the compelling story as told by Ms. Kiser.
“Not since J. A. Baker’s The Peregrine has there been such a moving book about birds. The story of the gifted-but-doomed amateur, the passion of the undertaking shake us. The beauty of the plates and their accessibility, until now denied all except a few who owned the rare original book, make this a rich gift to all who find interest in the natural world.” — Annie Proulx, Pulitzer Prize–winning author
About the author:
Joy M. Kiser began her career as the librarian for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. In 2001. she moved to the Washington, DC area to become the librarian for National Endowment for the Arts. She now works as a writer/editor for the Federal Government.
For more information, please contact: Diane Levinson, diane@papress.com, 212-995-9620 x214.
Audubon Dallas is a chapter of the National Audubon Society, with a mission to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, and teach about local flora and fauna to bring people closer to nature. Free monthly programs on bird and conservation topics are held at the Trinity River Audubon Center on the third Thursday of every month, and there are several birding field trips per month. For more information, visit www.audubondallas.org
or contact Lisa Dolliver at ldolliver@yahoo.com or 214-763-7256.
The North Texas Chapter of Texas Master Naturalists is a corps of trained volunteers who provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas in Dallas County. Monthly meetings with speakers are open to the public, and are held on the first Wednesday of each month at the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. For more information visit www.ntmn.org or contact Pauline Schafer at publicity@ntmn.org or 469-371-3256.
1717 North Harwood Street
Dallas , TX 75201