W.R. Coe, who along with his wife Mai Coe, was the creator of Planting Fields, was a passionate bird enthusiast who endowed the Professor of Ornithology position at Yale University upon his death in 1955. This appointment has historically been filled by the world’s foremost ornithologist. Planting Fields, while known for its vast collection of trees and plants, is also a hot spot for birdwatching, attracting numerous avid birders each season.
The Carl F. Wedell Bird Sanctuary is the location of our upcoming exhibition, The Great Bird Blind Debate, by artists Mark Dion and David Brooks. These site-specific works will inaugurate our new Catalyst commission program at Planting Fields. Originally scheduled to open in May, but delayed as a result of the current pandemic, the exhibition will now open on September 26. The installations will frame Dion’s and Brooks’ dueling views on birding as an activity and birders as a distinct and growing community. The bird sanctuary was selected for the installations based on the artists’ mutual interest in ornithology and new perspectives that emerged out of our recently completed Cultural Landscape Report highlighting the environmental impact of the landscape of Planting Fields. If you visit the site today you will see the installations in progress. One of David Brooks’ installation drawings is shown here. Brooks described the premise of this new exhibition, “In the spirit of the great scientific debates throughout modern history, we will debate the counterpoint notions of the birder, culturally and ecologically, on the one hand celebrating the unique character of the nature observer “eccentric” just as birding is becoming more mainstream, while, on the other hand, considering the unique character of the actual habitat that the nature observer will be observing within, at a time when animal habitats worldwide are reaching a critically vulnerable state.”
This week’s #Blackbirdersweek campaign that has been challenging and changing a conversation around who gets to enjoy nature and the outdoors. This topic should need no debate, but there are many great stories and voices speaking out. If you haven’t already, please take the time to listen to them.
At the time of its making, Planting Fields revealed the Coes’ deep passion for landscape, horticulture, art and architecture, but it indisputably symbolized immense wealth, exclusivity and privilege – a space accessible only to the family and their guests. Years later, in 1952 when W.R. Coe deeded the 409 acres to New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and created Planting Fields Foundation, his vision of the future ensured the property would be protected, shared and enjoyed by generations to come. Today, in the midst of a global pandemic, widespread social unrest and sorrow, we remain dedicated to our mission to preserving and nurturing this historic site as a safe, accessible and inclusive place for all.