Bird Funerals: Painting Ecological Change

This progam is part of the

North Cascades Audubon May 26, 2026 Membership Meeting

Location: Whatcom Museum Old City Hall Rotunda Room

Time: Social Hour starts at 6:30pm and Presentation begins at 7pm

NOTE: Reservations are not required - there NO NEED to reserve a ticket on Eventbrite - just add it to your calendar!

Vesper will present their paintings of birds in funerary arrangements and a portfolio of their tattoos of birds, and will discuss how art can function as a conservation tool. They will walk through their artistic process, from field observations and research to the meticulous practice of painting and tattooing. Vesper’s work brings viewers face-to-face with the interconnectivity of the world and provokes empathy for birds as individuals and support for conservation efforts. Their work explores the tenacity, beauty, and vulnerability of birds at a critical point in their ecological history.

Our Speaker:

Vesper Rothberg (they/them) is an artist and lifelong birder currently living in Bellingham, on Lummi, Nooksack, and Coast Salish land. Vesper’s large-scale paintings of deceased birds encourage sensitivity and attentiveness to the natural world at a global turning point for conservation. They hold a BA and BFA in painting with a minor in biology from Western Washington University. Vesper is self-employed as a painter and tattoo artist at their collectively owned studio in Fairhaven, Wiggle Room Tattoo, where they feel grateful to make bird tattoos on other birders for a living. Vesper was an Audubon Artist in Residence on Hog Island in Maine (2024), has shown their paintings in numerous museums and galleries, and has enjoyed building community through teaching bird drawing classes and guiding birding outings in the area. You can see their work at www.vesperrothberg.com and their tattoo portfolio on Instagram (@auk.let).

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Host or Publisher North Cascades Audubon Society