The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin, celebrates a milestone 50th anniversary of its Birds in Art exhibition, which takes place each fall the weekend after Labor Day. For five decades now, the annual exhibition has celebrated avian art with an exceptional collection of original paintings, sculpture and graphics by bird and wildlife artists across the world.
Gigi Chen, Vacancy, acrylic on wood, 24 x 18 in.
The 50th annual exhibition will feature artworks by 102 artists selected by a panel of jurors, including international artists representing 16 countries, as well as 41 Master Wildlife Artists. Each artist has a passion for avian life and the ways in which these winged creatures connect us to the natural world.
“Birds are fascinating to me and have played a very important part in my work for many years,” says artist Gigi Chen, whose glowing, luminescent piece Vacancy will be part of the 2025 show. The acrylic on wood painting depicts a great horned owl and two tufted titmouses perched around a miniature house with a neon “vacancy” sign.
Randy Van Dyck, Re Pear, 2025, acrylic on cradled panel
Chris Rose’s oil Eiders on the Foreshore captures a group of waterfowl picking for food amid moss covered rocks on the shore. “My desire to paint wildlife, particularly birds, stems from a deep fascination and respect for the natural world and a wish to share my excitement for the subject through my paintings,” says the artist.
Another piece in the show is Randy Van Dyck’s Re Pear,which depicts a western tanager perched atop a pear, centered within a mountainous valley.
Mary Cornish, At First Blush, oil on Raymar L64C linen panel, 16 x 20 in.
Other artists juried into the 2025 show include Mary Cornish, Jhenna Quinn Lewis, Edward Aldrich, Julia Rogers, Sean Murtha, Craig Blietz, Monique Wales and more.
More than 80 artists will be in attendance for the exhibition’s opening festivities, which begin September 6. Events include a guest speaker’s presentation at 9:30 am; Artists in Action demonstrations from 10:45 a.m. to noon; Watch, Learn & Create sessions with artists at the Glass Box Studio from 1 to 4 p.m.; and more. A number of attending artists will also be participating in gallery chats and live demonstrations throughout the weekend.
Chris Rose, Eiders on the Foreshore, 2024, oil on linen
A full-color illustrated catalog featuring every work along with artists’ statements will be available for purchase in September. Birds in Art will be on view through January 4, 2026. —
Birds in Art
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum
September 6, 2025 -J anuary 4, 2026
700 N. 12th Street, Wausau, WI 54403
(715) 845-7010, www.lywam.org
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