Talk at the Sheldon Museum: Chasing Butterflies: American Artists’ Pursuit of Natural History

Professor Ellery Foutch will present “Chasing Butterflies: American Artists’ Pursuit of Natural History,” a talk that explores artists’ pursuit of butterflies and their experimentations with representations that capture not just their intricate wing patterns but their symbolic associations as well. Why have so many artists, from the early nineteenth century to today, been drawn to butterflies and moths? Titian Ramsay Peale (1799-1885) created hundreds of sketches and oil paintings of the insects, and his elaborate specimen boxes display butterflies arranged in dazzling patterns between panes of glass. Painter Willard Metcalf spent his evenings catching moths with a lantern, saving his specimens in plaster-and-glass mounts that he stored within the drawers of his natural history cabinet. Contemporary artist Margarita Cabrera hand-crafts copper monarch butterflies, evoking migrations and exchanges between the U.S. and Mexico. Foutch will include other examples at the talk on July 15.

The talk will take place in the Sheldon’s barn and is free and open to the public. Seating is limited; first come, first served. The Sheldon Museum is located at One Park Street, Middlebury. For more information, visit www.HenrySheldonMuseum.org or call the Sheldon at 802-388-2117.

The program is offered in partnership with Little Seed Coffee located at 24 Merchants Row in Middlebury. Support our community partner by purchasing a beverage from them to enjoy during the talk!