Contemporary Naturalist
Natural history is often visually depicted as something squarely in the past: faded papers, exploratory ships, and preserved specimens. What would be on the desk of a contemporary naturalist?
Natural History Today
I grew up with frequent visits to Chicago museums, including the wonder-filled Field Museum of Natural History. Seeing the incredible collections and dioramas reinforced my desire to be a nature artist in daily life, and pursue a science career. In the years since, I’ve realized that despite the efforts of artists like the amazing Peggy MacNamara, artist-in-residence at the Field Museum, natural history depictions have narrowed to a near-caricature of a nineteenth century European gentleman naturalist.
With increased emphasis on research and learning across disciplines (multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary) to address global problems, it’s time to consider what it means to be a contemporary naturalist. I know there are many out there; from avid birders to wildlife gardeners, nature writers, and so many more. This assemblage is a collection of things I have that represents how I am a contemporary naturalist too. I took out of my drawers and bins green-ish objects and quickly saw how many related directly or indirectly to studying aspects of nature. The objects are arranged to represent how studying nature is an integral part of my life and crossed many areas of knowledge and ways of knowing.
