Articles

Online Albatross Exhibition~County Museum

March 3, 2021
1,314 3 minutes read

ALBATROSS

ALBATROSS: LIFE ON THE WIND AND SEA 

A Museum/Library Collaboration

March 3, 2021

MENDOCINO COUNTY CULTURAL SERVICES AGENCY PRESS RELEASE

Online Exhibition at Mendocino County Museum Soars into the World of the Mysterious Seabirds

Albatross: Life on the Wind and Sea, is Mendocino County Museum’s online exhibition from March 14th to April 30th and reflects the latest discoveries about these seabirds. Through colorful block-printed artworks, sounds and videos of albatrosses, a virtual tour of albatrosses’ Midway Atoll home, and family-friendly activities, the virtual exhibit, Albatross: Life on the Wind and Sea, dispels myths and sheds light on the lives of these large seabirds, of which three species are found in the Northern Pacific. This exhibit will be paired with stories about sightings of albatrosses in Mendocino County. Museum collection highlights and virtual programs will inspire exploration and stewardship of the Mendocino coast.

Albatrosses spend 95% of their lives over the open ocean, using the wind to sail over the ocean for long periods of time. They only return to land to find and meet their life mates, lay their egg, and raise their young. When it’s time to nest, both parents share responsibilities for their egg. While one albatross incubates the egg for up to three weeks, the other travels hundreds or thousands of miles to find food in colder waters. When the traveling bird returns, the parents trade roles.

Throughout Albatross: Life on the Wind and Sea, Hawai’i artist and author Caren Loebel-Fried reveals the story of an imagined nesting Laysan Albatross through her intricate and colorful block prints. Loebel-Fried spent five weeks on the small Northwestern Hawaiian islands of Midway Atoll, working amongst hundreds of thousands of nesting Laysan, Black-footed, and Short-tailed Albatrosses. While on Midway, Caren counted nests with a census team and researched for her artwork for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Her artwork and story originally appeared in the book A Perfect Day for an Albatross, published by Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s publishing wing, and has been verified for accuracy by biologists.

Exhibition Support

Albatross: Life on the Wind and Sea is based on a traveling exhibition from Caren Loebel-Fried, the Seymour Marine Discovery Center (Santa Cruz, CA), and Exhibit Envoy, a nonprofit. The exhibition is adapted from the book , written by Caren Loebel-Fried and published by Cornell Lab Publishing Group.

About the Artists

Author and artist Caren Loebel-Fried is an author and artist from Volcano, Hawai‘i who lives part time in Half Moon Bay, California. Birds, conservation, and the natural world are the foundation for her work. Caren creates award-winning storybooks about nature and culture, and makes iconic, educational art for government agencies and conservation organizations. She uses the power of pictures and stories to open up the world of wildlife for people young and old, like in her book A Perfect Day for an Albatross, on which Albatross: Life on the Wind and Sea is based.

About Exhibit Envoy

Exhibit Envoy’s mission is to provide institutions with diverse and meaningful traveling exhibitions to strengthen their communities. For more information, please visit www.exhibitenvoy.org.

Albatross Programs at the Library

The Mendocino County Library is providing some exciting albatross themed programs in coordination with the Museum exhibit:

Cultural Services Agency
880 N. Bush Street
Office: (707) 234-2873
Ukiah CA 95482
Fax: (707) 463-6951

March 3, 2021
1,314 3 minutes read
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