Maine's endangered flora and fauna are the unusual yet charming subject of "Threatened and Endangered," artist Rebecca Goodale's exhibit on display this month in the Hawthorne-Longfellow Library.
Over the past few years, the Library has sought to expand its collection of unique or limited edition artists' books, which "serve to teach, inspire, and delight both students and the reading public," according to Richard H. F. Lindemann, Director of the George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections at the Bowdoin College Library, in the foreword of the "Threatened and Endangered" exhibit catalogue. Bowdoin's collection of rare books primarily showcases the works of a variety of Maine artists, including Goodale's recent endeavors.
Linda J. Docherty, a professor of art history at Bowdoin, said the inspiration for Goodale's books grew out of her personal reflections about "threatened and endangered species and the power humans have to determine their survival." Goodale's aim is to eventually depict all 224 flora and fauna on Maine's endangered lists in order to "make them live in the viewer's eyes and imagination," Docherty said in the exhibition catalogue.
The works are painted on paper and are mostly bound into volumes, although some of the books take on interesting shapes, like the fortune-teller shaped Extinct; Extirpated; Endangered series, or the whimsical accordion shapes of Black Racer and Betula. Goodale paints with a vibrant, colorful, and loose hand, charmingly rendering these rare plants and animals in such a way that the viewer realizes what a precious gift these endangered species are.
Two of Goodale's most striking works are Beach Plum (2003) and Ephemeroptera (2000). Beach Plum is a lovely rendering of two sweet little birds perched on a branch with flowers blooming all about them, and is an excellent example of Goodale's gift for capturing and showcasing the vibrant colors of Maine's wildlife. In Ephemeroptera, Goodale forgoes her usual palette of sunny shades for the striking combination of white, midnight blue, and silver, to illustrate luminous and ghostly bugs flying through a night sky. Goodale also includes text in many of her drawings, proving that the books of "Threatened and Endangered" are not only works of art but sources of information as well.
Goodale's books are especially poignant because of the constant presence of their fragility; her artistic renderings may soon be all we have left of Maine's precious flora and fauna. "Threatened and Endangered" will be on exhibit at eight locations in Maine, and will stay on the second and third floors of H and L library through December 2004.