Inspired by the National Audubon Society’s Survival by Degrees: 389 Bird Species on the Brink, Jessica Lagunas presents a series of unconventional portraits of over twenty bird species classified as “at risk,” yet frequently sighted throughout Upper Manhattan and the Bronx.
Jessica Lagunas combines collected feathers, fabric swatches, and French-knot embroidery on dyed silk organza and Amate paper. Birds, rather than humans, assume the role of the subject, vibrantly depicted in side profiles and static poses, and placed in areas of Dyckman Farmhouse Museum where family portraits would traditionally hang.
With birds placed at the center of each portrait, As Canaries in A Coal Mine invites visitors to see how they reflect the impact of climate change in our local community.
Opening Reception: October 23, 2025 at 6pm
On View: October 24, 2025 – November 22, 2025
Visiting Hours: Friday 12pm-4pm and Saturday 10am-4pm
Museum Admission: $3 (FREE for Uptown Residents!)
Location: Dyckman Farmhouse Museum (on the corner of 204th and Broadway)
Jessica Lagunas is a New York City-based Latinx artist. Her work has been included in Museo Amparo, Mexico; Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín, Colombia; Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (CA); the Art Museum of the Americas (Washington, D.C.), the International Festival of Contemporary Arts–City of Women (Slovenia), The Bronx Museum of the Arts (NY), among others; and in biennials including Pontevedra (Spain), El Museo del Barrio (NY), Tirana (Albania), Cuenca (Ecuador), Caribbean (Dominican Republic) and Paiz (Guatemala); as well as in cities in the US, Europe and Latin America.
Lagunas has received grants from the Joan Mitchell Foundation, NYSCA, Hispanic Society Museum & Library, Bronx Council on the Arts, City Artist Corps; and residencies at LMCC’s Workspace and Swing Space, Bronx Museum’s AIM, El Museo del Barrio, Wave Hill, The Center for Book Arts, Joan Mitchell Center, and Lost and Found Lab.