2009 marks the 75th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and UT Knoxville’s Frank H. McClung Museum is recognizing the occasion with an exhibit of Birds of the Smokies: The Art of Catesby, Wilson, and Audubon. The illustrations, all from the museum’s own collection, are hand-colored copper plate engravings and lithographs by Mark Catesby, Alexander Wilson, and John James Audubon.
The three naturalists and artists traveled widely in the southeastern United States in the 1700s and 1800s, collecting, naming, and illustrating plants and animals. The exhibit spotlights their artwork, including many of the bird species found in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The exhibit is on view through December 31, 2009. Directions to the museum, plus museum hours and parking areas are available at the McClung Museum website.
UT and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Did you know a UT alumnus was instrumental in the founding of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
Much more detail about the Park is available in University of Tennessee Press books about the park’s history and handy guides such as Best Short Hikes in the Smokies.
UT’s Smoky Mountain Field School has offered workshops, hikes, and adventures in the park for more than 30 years.
Photos of the Smokies like you’ve never seen before from the Great Smoky Mountains Regional Project of the UT Libraries.
