News and Events
October 2024 | Micro Fellowship at the Folger Shakespeare Library
I'm delighted to return to the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., to delve into their rare book collection for early modern illustrations and descriptions of birds. I’ll be onsite studying the works of Francis Willughby, Ulisse Aldrovandi, Pierre Belon, and other key naturalists. Thank you to the Folger’s incredible team for their ongoing support of my project.
Visit the Folger Shakespeare Library
August 20, 2024 | Article by Carnegie Mellon University: “Painting the Bard’s Birds”
I’m honored to be featured in an article by my alma mater, Carnegie Mellon University: “Painting the Bard’s Birds: CMU alumna Missy Dunaway explores the intersection of Shakespeare and art” By Kelly Rembold.
New Date: May 3, 2024 | Audubon Page-Turning Event at Bowdoin College Library
This event has been rescheduled to May 3rd: I will be the guest speaker for the monthly page-turning of Audubon’s Birds of America. The event will be in George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives’s reading room on the third floor of the Hawthorne-Longfellow Library at Bowdoin College.
Bowdoin’s set of Birds of America has been on permanent display since 1956, initially in the former library in Hubbard Hall before moving to the Hawthorne-Longfellow Library in 1965. To showcase this resplendent work while limiting the light exposure that can damage the prints’ sensitive watercolors, only one volume, turned to a single print, is exhibited at a time. In January 2016, Special Collections director Kat Stefko and education and outreach librarian Marieke Van Der Steenhoven inaugurated a monthly page-turning event, beginning with the first plate, in order to better regulate the amount of light each print receives.
Friday, April 5, 2024
Hawthorne-Longfellow Library
Bowdoin College
5 College St
Brunswick, ME 04011
April 23, 2024 | Presentation for the Bronx River Sound Shore Audubon Chapter
I will join the Bronx River Sound Shore Audubon Chapter to present The Birds of Shakespeare in a one-hour presentation over Zoom. My talk will pay special attention to Shakespearean birds found in North America, covering Renaissance bird-themed folktales to offer fresh, cultural insights for seasoned birders. This event is co-sponsored by neighboring chapters Bedford Audubon, Central Westchester Audubon Society, Saw Mill River Audubon, and Hudson River Audubon Society.
Tuesday, April 23 at 7:00 pm
Virtual Presentation over Zoom
About the Bronx River Sound Shore Audubon Chapter
October 11, 2023 | Feather Painting Workshop at The Wendell Gilley Museum
Please join me, the Gilley’s October People-Nature-Art presenter, for this special painting workshop to create realistic feathers. According to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, it is illegal to collect feathers from birds that are migratory and native to the United States territories. Let’s collect feathers lawfully—as paintings! In this lesson, I will guide you through an approachable step-by-step process to create a realistic painting of feathers using acrylic-ink on paper. Appropriate for all skill levels, including children, beginners, and experienced artists. Materials provided. Registration required.
Wednesday, October 11th from 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
The Wendell Gilley Museum
4 Herrick Road
Southwest Harbor, ME 04679
T: (207) 244-7555
October 10, 2023 | People-Nature-Art Presentation at The Wendell Gilley Museum
Enjoy a birding expedition through William Shakespeare’s plays and poetry! I will be at the Gilley on Tuesday, October 10th, for a 5:30 pm reception and a 7 pm presentation as the museum’s October People-Nature-Art presenter.
People-Nature-Art is a monthly series that brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to explore how nature and art interact in their work and how their art impacts their approach to nature. Each session for 2023 is sponsored by our friends at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust.
Opening Reception: Tuesday, October 10th from 5:30 - 7 pm
Presentation and Q&A: Tuesday, October 10th from 7 - 8 pm
The Wendell Gilley Museum
4 Herrick Road
Southwest Harbor, ME 04679
T: (207) 244-7555
August 16 - September 31, 2023 | Exhibition at The Cumberland Club
Twelve framed prints from The Birds of Shakespeare series will be displayed at an historic Federal-style clubhouse in the heart of the Old Port from August 16th - September 31st. This exhibition is coordinated by The Portland Art Gallery of Maine.
Opening Reception: Wednesday, August 16th at 6:30 pm
Please email gallerydirector@portlandartgallery.com to RSVP.
The Cumberland Club
116 High St
Portland, ME 04101
T: (207) 773 - 6402
May 1, 2023 | Maine Fulbright Award
I am honored to receive a Maine Fulbright Award, providing a generous grant to continue research and artwork for The Birds of Shakespeare. I received a Fulbright Research Fellowship to Turkey in 2013, and I am thrilled to stay engaged with this fantastic organization ten years on through my local chapter of Fulbright alums.
About the Maine Fulbright Chapter: “Our Chapter mission is to promote continued opportunities for life-long learning, collaborative networking, service, and programming that celebrate international educational and cultural exchanges in support of Fulbright alumni, aspiring Fulbrighters, and the legacy of J. William Fulbright.”
Learn more about the Maine Chapter of the Fulbright Association.
April 2 - 29th, 2023 | Exhibition at Portland Art Gallery
All available prints from The Birds of Shakespeare series will be displayed at the Portland Art Gallery of Maine. I will be at the gallery on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the month to meet visitors and answer questions. All are welcome to attend the opening reception. This exhibition marks the one-year anniversary of the project.
Opening Reception: Thursday, April 6th, from 5 - 7 pm
The Portland Art Gallery
154 Middle St
Portland, ME 04101
T: (207) 956 - 7105
gallerydirector@portlandartgallery.com
Open 7 days a week from 10 am - 5:30 pm
Visit in person or online: portlandartgallery.com
Monthly Feature on Shakespeare & Beyond
Did you know you can read about Shakespeare’s birds on the Folger Shakespeare Library’s blog? My monthly bird migrates to Shakespeare & Beyond as a guest article every month.
Click here to follow along with the Folger Shakespeare Library.
June 4 - July 15 2022 | Olepangi Farm Artist-in-Residence
I will be in a birder’s paradise for June and July at an artist-in-residence program in Kenya. I will have limited access to the internet, so please allow one week for replies to email and inquiries.
April 20, 2022 | Shakespeare Lightning Round
The Birds of Shakespeare was featured on Shakespeare Lightning Round, a live event held on The Folger Shakespeare Library’s Instagram account.
About the Shakespeare Lightning Round: “What’s your favorite Shakespeare play? Best Shakespeare character? Most overrated Shakespeare play? Tune in on Instagram Live for a fun, fast-paced, Shakespearean chat show. We ask our guests 30 lightning-fast questions to reveal their hottest takes on the Bard and his plays.”
April 15, 2022 | Shakespeare & Beyond
The Birds of Shakespeare will be featured in the official blog of The Folger Shakespeare Library in a new monthly series. The first post is about the barnacle goose.
About Shakespeare & Beyond: “Produced by the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Shakespeare & Beyond blog features a wide range of Shakespeare-related topics: the early modern period in which he lived, the ways his plays have been interpreted and staged over the past four centuries, the enduring power of his characters and language, and more. Shakespeare & Beyond also explores the topics that shape our experience of Shakespeare today: trends in performance, the latest discoveries and scholarship, news stories, pop culture, interesting books, new movies, the rich context of theater and literary history, and more.”
Click here to read the first article
April 1 - 30, 2022 | Exhibition at Portland Art Gallery
Eight paintings from The Birds of Shakespeare will be on display at The Portland Art Gallery of Maine. The artist, Missy Dunaway, will be at the gallery on Saturdays to meet visitors and answer questions. All are welcome to attend the opening reception.
Opening Reception: Thursday, April 7th from 5 - 7 pm
The Portland Art Gallery
154 Middle St
Portland, ME 04101
T: (207) 956 - 7105
gallerydirector@portlandartgallery.com
Open 7 days a week from 10 am - 5:30 pm
March 8, 2022 | The Collation
The Birds of Shakespeare was featured in a guest blog post written for The Collation, a gathering of useful information and observations from staff and researchers of the Folger Shakespeare Library.
About The Collation: “The Folger is a world-class center for scholarship, learning, culture, and the arts, and this blog seeks to present bite-sized glimpses of the materials found within our walls, along with the questions and answers they prompt. The Folger’s collections include rare printed books, manuscripts, works of art, audiovisual materials, and modern scholarship, extending beyond the study of Shakespeare to early modern culture and the theatrical history of his plays. The posts you will find in the blog cover all of those topics, and more.”
Click here to read the article
November 2021 | Folger Institute Fellowship
I am honored to receive a Folger Institute Artistic Research Fellowship. This opportunity grants special access to the Folger Shakespeare Library’s archives for in-depth, collections-based research. I plan to utilize the British Book Illustrations Collections and the LUNA Digital Images Collection to explore early modern scientific illustrations and naturalist illustrations from the English Renaissance.
About the Folger Institute: “The Folger Institute is a center for advanced research in the early modern humanities at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Founded in 1970, the Institute gathers interdisciplinary communities of scholars for collections-based research.”