Considered America's first great watercolorist, Audubon was a self-trained artist-naturalist. Whereas the biography of the legendary artist has been much studied and his contributions to natural history discussed, the sources behind his mesmerizing avian vignettes have been ignored, 
Curator of Drawings Emerita at The New York Historical Society, Professor of Art History Emeritus of Wheaton College, and author of the acclaimed book Audubon as Artist: A New Look at The Birds of America, Dr. Roberta J. M. Olson will discuss how John James Audubon was not just an astute observer of avian species in what was then the wilderness of America, but also a superb artist and proto-conservationist. Her illustrated talk will highlight Audubon’s works that he created in preparation for the final works that appear in The Birds of America (1827-1838) and explore some of the controversies surrounding his legacy.