Fort Dun Dun

Artist Mary Walling Blackburn describes David C. Hilton’s Notes on the Birds of the Fort Leavenworth Reservation, Kansas as an “ornithological leak.” Hilton developed his bird watching hobby to counter his position as the prison’s physician; marginalia belie his conscience, heavy from witnessing the plight of his patients. 

Walling Blackburn spent episodes of her childhood shuffled among relatives. She always traveled by Greyhound Bus. And the other passengers always included a few persons recently released from prison—identifiable by their perfectly new grey sweatshirts and pristinely pressed blue jeans. The blue jeans never failed to amaze her: they were so clean, dark, creased. 

In layers of thought provoking juxtapositions, Fort Dun Dun fuses Hilton’s “ornithological leak” with prison-issue denim and the literal building blocks of the incarceration system. Fort Dun Dun, with its tactility and song and playfulness, is disarming. What first appear to be bricks in myriad sizes turn out to be pillows upholstered in denim. They invite interaction and proximity—what better pillow purpose is there than to build a pillow fort? The faint sound of birdsong—the song of every bird on Hilton’s list, in fact—can be heard; are the chirps and twitters emanating from the pillow bricks themselves or the environment? Acting upon the urge to press your ear against each denim block is inevitable. The desire to feel, get close to, and participate with the work lies in stark contrast to how most of the country treats the 25% of its population imprisoned—out of sight and out of mind.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a speaker series. The speakers will represent a range of perspectives: someone who works and volunteers with prison art programs to talk about the importance of art in the lives of those incarcerated, someone who was previously incarcerated to talk about the needs of those trying to re-enter their communities after time spent behind bars, a political activist to discuss the incarceration system and necessity for prison reform within the United States, and the artist herself to interpret and answer questions about her art. We would also hold a few curatorial tours of the work. If additional funds can be raised, we would like to have children’s activities such as birdhouse making, coloring, and card writing (to those incarcerated as well as politicians), outdoor activities such as a birding walk led by a local expert/hobbyist to explore the region’s feathered residents at springtime, and a motivational speaker or life coach.

Where

New Brunswick Theological Seminary (NBTS), New Brunswick, NJ

When

TBD

Sponsors

This exhibition and its programming are generously supported by NBTS and the Puffin Foundation West, Ltd.