Birds in Art

EXHIBITION ON VIEW OCTOBER 17, 2026 – APRIL 25, 2027

Birds have long captivated artistic imaginations. They are among the creatures people around the globe encounter most frequently in everyday life. At various times, they have become symbols of freedom, hope, divine intervention, wisdom, and many other attributes. This exhibition celebrates the many ways that artists today continue to envision and interpret birds in new ways.

Birds in Art is an annual exhibition organized by The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin, each year since 1976. The exhibit typically features new works by contemporary artists. However, this special 50th anniversary edition of Birds in Art also includes a selection of highlights from past years. There were more than 140 pieces on display when Birds in Art Fifty opened in Wausau in the fall of 2025. The select group of 60 works you see here embarked on a national tour in January of 2026.

This milestone exhibition recognizes the profound impact that Birds in Art has had on the field of wildlife art over the past five decades. It has helped emerging artists to find new audiences for their work, cemented their reputation among the leading practitioners in the field, and honored the accomplishments of those who have devoted their lives to wildlife art. The National Museum of Wildlife Art shares the Leigh Yawkey Woodson’s longstanding commitment to supporting wildlife art and its creators. The Museum has hosted Birds in Art twice before, in 1997 and 2006, and we are pleased to welcome this landmark edition of the show again this year.