'Audubon Animated'
John James Audubon is the original bird man. The 19th-century ornithological artist tried to paint every bird in America. Eleven of his feather-filled prints, three of his large-scale plates, and four paintings by his contemporaries adorn the walls of two galleries in this Bell Museum exhibition. In another gallery, Italian production company OLO Creative Farm created an immersive five-minute multimedia animation of a forest from day to night filled with 20 birds squawking, tweeting and/or cooing. During the day, a nocturnal long-eared owl pokes out from behind a branch. At night, it makes a brief appearance, blinking its wild yellow eyes. Visitors can try their hand at ornithological drawing using a taxidermied blue jay as a model. An "After Hours: Birds" tour from 5 to 8:30 p.m. March 18 includes Audubon collage-making. (Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sun. Ends May 1. Bell Museum, 2088 W. Larpenteur Av., Falcon Heights. $4-$12. Kids free. 612-626-9660 or bellmuseum.umn.edu)
Alicia Eler
