After Hours with Birds of Texas
February 24, 2022 Ornithological books—or bird books—are among the most arresting printed combinations of art and science. Indeed, some of the most celebrated books in existence are ornithological works: Audubon’s Birds of America and Catesby’s Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahamas. The work of bird illustrations and natural history continues today and can be seen in the work of Texas artists, Scott and Stuart Gentling. Their work, Of Birds and Texas, published in 1986, continues the work of Audubon and Catesby in a grand manner. The folio book, recently acquired by the Library, combines the artistry of the Gentlings with the ornithological and natural history work of their predecessors. In this presentation, Gentling Curator Jonathan Frembling and the Linda Hall Library’s Vice President for Special Collections Jason W. Dean explore the art and science embodied in the Gentling’s masterwork, Of Birds and Texas. Jason W. Dean is Vice President for Special Collections at the Linda Hall Library. Prior to coming to the Library, Jason was Director of Special Collections & Archives at Southwestern University. He has previously held positions at the University of Arkansas and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. He earned an undergraduate degree in history from Hardin-Simmons University and his MS in Library and Information Science from Syracuse University. He is a member of the Grolier Club, and a past Institute of Library and Museum Services-Rare Book School fellow. Jonathan Frembling received an MA in History from the University of Texas. He served as the Archivist of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art from 2003 to 2018, when the museum received the Gentling endowment for an Archives Curator. This expanded role leads the archives department, the special collections study room, two fellowships, and develops exhibitions built on the Museum’s extensive special collections. 2021 saw Frembling assemble a comprehensive career retrospective of the artists Scott and Stuart Gentling as the first program of this expanded program.
