Ryan Horvath’s series Birds of America is created from various printmaking methods such as woodcut, engraving and intaglio printing processes. Horvath’s attention to detail and excellent draftsmanship are highlighted in this body of work. Also on view are Horvath’s wood blocks and plates used for printing the series, allowing the viewer see the amount of work that goes into traditional printmaking techniques.

Horvath revisits Audubon’s famous illustrations of North American birds that are now listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as either endangered or vulnerable. His compositions are directly inspired by Audubon’s original prints, both in size of the print and in creating life-sized images of birds. Horvath chooses to represent birds as specimens that have been tagged, are rigid, preserved and lifeless yet imposing. This is to direct the viewer to understand how desolate our skies, backyards and forests would be without birds living in them. These prints are created with the deliberate purpose of raising our awareness of not only the precariousness of these creatures but also that of our own existence.

Horvath received a B.F.A. from Bradley University in 2009 and an M.F.A. from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville in 2012. He currently resides in Edwardsville, IL where he is an instructor in printmaking at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville.

Opening Night Reception, Friday, September 8 from 6-8 p.m.