Field Notes: Learning to See

is a collaborative exhibition by Yvonne Love and Deirdre Murphy, inspired by over five decades of daily naturalist field notes kept by Yvonne's parents, Naomi and Bill Murphy - devoted birders and lifelong observers of the natural word. Inheriting a shared practice of observation from their scientist parents, Love and Murphy engage across mediums and generations, translating decades of bird counts, and handwritten logs into visual arts. The project will be exhibited at the John James Audubon House (April-September 2026) before traveling to Millersville University (September - October 2026), and the Heidi Lowe Gallery in Lewes, DE in 2027.

“Love and Murphy’s collaboration reflects the social nature of the checklists themselves, which are adorned with Bill’s printing and Naomi’s cursive script. As birding trips are social occasions—albeit quiet by necessity—companions are also present in the notations. In the collaborative practice for Field Notes, Love and Murphy passed the checklists back and forth, adding and subtracting painted and dimensional details. The resulting aesthetic is something like two birds calling to one another. Balancing order with improvisation, Field Notes is an homage to dedicated birdwatchers and a joyful remembering of their recorded moments.”

— Heather Moqtaderi, National Audubon Society

Photographed by Nicholas Wynia

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Press

Bird’s Eye View: A Collaborative Meditation on Birders and the Fleeting Objects of Their Affection

The Pennsylvania Gazette
By Trey Popp
June 18, 2026
"Birds have been near the center of Yvonne Love GFA'94's family life for about as long as she can remember... These data-rich documents... serve as the base layers of an exhibition that could hardly ask for a more fitting venue: the house in Mill Grove, Pennsylvania, where John James Audubon was first inspired to draw and paint birds in the early 1800s."

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Contemporary art comes to roost at the Audubon Center

GRID Magazine
By Sophie Aanerud
June 1, 2026
"Adjacent to the visitor center... 'Field Notes: Learning to See,' a collaborative three-dimensional installation by Murphy and sculptor Yvonne Love... highlights a pivot toward conservation-based bird appreciation."

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