Ohio is a mecca for migrating birds, producing some memorable birdwatching spectacles. Warblers flock to Magee Marsh during the spring, while crows descend on Mansfield in the fall.
While these big, iridescent beauties are in town, they perch in trees and flock to the warmth of downtown buildings. They particularly fancy making their temporary home in the eight wooded acres surrounding the Mansfield Art Museum.
Thousands of cawing, swooping and diving crows sounds like a deafening invasion to be dreaded, but the museum celebrates the crows’ loyalty in returning each year by holding CrowFest, a crow-themed art show and festival, in their honor.
During 2023’s iteration of this unique event, more than 100 crow-inspired works of art were selected from submissions of oil paintings, mixed media, sculpture and other creations. Here are a few favorites.
A murder of three-dimensionally-printed crows was suspended by a monofilament hanging system in the atrium. Casting shadows in the space, they brought to mind the fussing, flapping murder of crows Sting recalls in “All This Time.”
Underneath them was a painting of St. Casilda of Toledo, who is said to have been able to communicate with animals. Artist Emily Beveridge created this as part of a series of 40 saints she painted to commemorate her 40th birthday.
Best of all was Corn Shellers, an extraordinary piece that took Tom Baldwin two years to finish. Completely carved from wood, except for a tiny metal spring and the crow’s feet, it was captivating from all angles.
Beyond CrowFest, the Mansfield Art Museum is worth landing at year-round. Designed by Cleveland architect Don Hisaka, it was built in 1971 as a center for the visual arts. The award-winning, simple yet innovative structure – a work of art in itself – features two floors of spacious galleries, an atrium that complements its natural surroundings, classrooms for a variety of pursuits in the fine and decorative arts, and a shop highlighting handcrafted work by local artists.
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Crows are a fascinating type of birds, able to distinguish one human from another–perhaps a type of facial recognition. They also appear to have some form of family grouping, calling to each other when one locates food. It is said they also behave in a manner similar to mourning, when one of their “family” dies or is killed. It is presently not understood whether it’s some form of remembrance or a call to others to consider behavior that might have caused the death. It would be very difficult to verify why they practice this apparent mourning behavior, but the term seems best suited to describe this crow behaviour.
hello Betsy, glad to see you posting again! Love the reference to Sting, one of my favorite artists. Crows are so amazing. I see them go after the hawks along my backyard creek.
Did you happen to get my request on your Grolier Club post?