MAH Takes Flight with New Pop-Up Exhibition

A new pop-up exhibition exploring local bird life and regional history has opened in Santa Cruz County.

Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History has launched “Winging It: Birds of Live Oak,” an exhibition on display through May 24 at the Simpkins Family Swim Center.

The exhibit highlights the water-loving birds that inhabit the Live Oak area while exploring the environmental and cultural history of the Santa Cruz coastline. Displays include multiple-exposure photography and other works by local artists Enrique López, Stephanie Martin, Elijah Pfotenhauer, Shmuel Thaler and John Welsh.

The exhibition also examines a 1961 bird invasion in the Live Oak area that drew national attention and prompted a phone call from filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock to the Santa Cruz Sentinel while he was researching the film The Birds.

In addition to professional works, the display features more than 100 bird-themed artworks created by third-grade students from Live Oak Elementary School after participating in art workshops focused on species such as sooty shearwaters and elegant terns.

The exhibition highlights how the region’s coastal lagoons, wildlife habitats and historical poultry farming industry helped shape the Live Oak community.

The exhibition is sponsored in part by William and Brigid Simpkins and John Dowdell.

TOP PHOTO CREDIT: John Welsh, Elegant Tern Diving, 2023. Multiple Exposure Photograph