Roger Tory Peterson Institute https://rtpi.org Art That Matters to The Planet | Jamestown, New York Wed, 18 Feb 2026 16:35:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.5 RTPI Monthly E-Newsletter https://rtpi.org/rtpi-monthly-e-newsletter/ https://rtpi.org/rtpi-monthly-e-newsletter/#respond Thu, 07 Mar 2024 20:59:16 +0000 https://rtpi.org/?p=4922 July 2024 Art and Nature News

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]]> https://rtpi.org/rtpi-monthly-e-newsletter/feed/ 0 Press Releases https://rtpi.org/press-releases/ https://rtpi.org/press-releases/#respond Thu, 07 Mar 2024 17:56:57 +0000 https://rtpi.org/?p=4883 CONDORS AND KESTRELS FLOCK TO ROGER TORY PETERSON INSTITUTE
February 11, 2026

The Roger Tory Peterson Institute (RTPI) is delighted to announce the opening of its newest art exhibition, Enduring Beauty: Portraits of the California Condor and American Kestrel by artist-in-residence Jennifer L. Anderson, on display from February 14, 2026 to June 21, 2026.

ROGER TORY PETERSON INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES NEW CEO – Stacey Otte-Demangate Selected to Lead RTPI 
January 20, 2026

As Board Chair, Diane Carlson noted, “The RTPI Board is delighted to welcome Stacey as our new CEO who succeeds Arthur Pearson and will continue to lead the growth of the Institute.”

ROGER TORY PETERSON INSTITUTE TO UNVEIL MONUMENTAL PETERSON MURAL – Ribbon Cutting Scheduled for June 19
May 27, 2025

Roger Tory Peterson Institute will cut the ribbon on a monumental mural celebrating the legacy of Roger Tory Peterson on Thursday, June 19, at 5:15 pm at the Pearl City Arts Center.

ROGER TORY PETERSON INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES SEARCH FOR NEXT CEO – Current CEO Arthur Pearson to Retire at End of Year
April 15, 2025

Jamestown, NY – April 15, 2025 – The Roger Tory Peterson Institute (RTPI) has announced that CEO Arthur Pearson will retire at the end of 2025, following more than five years of outstanding leadership. The search for a new CEO is now underway.

ROGER TORY PETERSON INSTITUTE CELEBRATES COMMUNITY ROOTS – Partnership Project to Plant a Tree and Rededicate a Historic Marker
May 1, 2024

Jamestown, NY – May 1, 2024 – The Roger Tory Peterson Institute celebrates its deep roots in Jamestown by planting a tree and rededicating a historic marker in front of Roger Tory Peterson’s boyhood home.

ROGER TORY PETERSON INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES SCHOLARS-IN-RESIDENCE – Canisius University Faculty to Expand Spark Bird Project
March 5, 2024

Jamestown, NY – March 5, 2024 – The Roger Tory Peterson Institute proudly announces the naming of Dr. Jennifer Lodi-Smith and Janet McNally, professors at Canisius University, as the inaugural RTPI Scholars-in-Residence.

]]> https://rtpi.org/press-releases/feed/ 0 Art After 5 at RTPI – An Evening of Music, Nature, and Art https://rtpi.org/art-after-5-at-rtpi-an-evening-of-music-nature-and-art/ https://rtpi.org/art-after-5-at-rtpi-an-evening-of-music-nature-and-art/#respond Wed, 31 Jan 2024 17:44:12 +0000 https://rtpi.org/?p=4709 The Roger Tory Peterson Institute’s (RTPI) Art After 5 program draws a varied crowd to appreciate RTPI’s exhibits, enjoy local music, and socialize over snacks and drinks. Events, which take place about once a month, feature two hours of live music by a local musician or group and access to the Institute’s exhibitions.

“It’s the best happy hour in Western New York”, says David Niles, Program and Events Manager at RTPI.

The Roger Tory Peterson Institute, home of the collections of Jamestown-born naturalist, ornithologist, and nature artist Roger Tory Peterson, has shifted its focus to art exhibitions in recent years and has invested heavily in creating a market for what is essentially the only independent, dedicated art museum in Chautauqua County. Much of that work involves attracting visitors who are unused to paying for an art museum experience, which is where Art After 5 fits in. Niles sees the events as “another way to share […] what we do with our community”, including with “people that may not come to RTPI on their own”. “Music is a great avenue for that”, he continues, as well as “a way for us to nurture and support more artists”. By transforming RTPI into a music venue the museum attracts music-lovers, perhaps a larger and more diverse market than that the Institute would normally draw.

Niles hopes the ticket price, usually $16 to $18, will also attract those who just want a nice evening out on the town. For that price, “you get a glass of wine, you get something to snack on”, “two hours of live music and you can lose yourself in the art”, says Niles, who adds that he’s always on the lookout for new musical talent for the events.

You can read the rest of the article here.

Featured artwork: Smackdab, Joe Rice, 2023, watercolor on paper.

]]> https://rtpi.org/art-after-5-at-rtpi-an-evening-of-music-nature-and-art/feed/ 0 “DEAR DR. PETERSON” https://rtpi.org/dear-dr-peterson/ https://rtpi.org/dear-dr-peterson/#respond Thu, 11 Jan 2024 15:53:48 +0000 https://rtpi.org/?p=4585 Going through random correspondence to Roger Tory Peterson from the 1950s to the early 1970s includes a little bit of everything. Lots of people asked for help identifying a strange bird they saw, remember, there was no Google to look things up on, and if your local library or birding club couldn’t help you, you were out of luck! Others wrote to him asking for job opportunities or with questions for a school project; mostly people wrote to him to thank him for writing his Field Guides, showing his footages from places like the Galapagos, and for his wonderful illustrations of birds. But also, charmingly, there are a lot of letters from children. And most of them—to the utter delight of RTPI staff—arrived with drawings and paintings. It is a very ancient human practice, to draw. To say, “This is what I saw, and I want you to see it, too”. Some of the letters from adults also have drawings—mostly to help Roger help them identify a bird.

Pen sketch in a letter from Don and Martha Hekman, asking for help on some strange bird sightings
at Lake Ocotal Grande in Chiapas, Mexico. 1974.

 

Pencil sketch in a letter from Dale R Hilding in St. Maries, Idaho, asking for help identifying a bird the size of a Robin and one similar in size to a Sparrow. 1965.

 

The ones from children, however, are specifically either sent as gifts or to ask Roger his opinion on their works. And they are dazzling. They sit in their files, elbow to elbow with letters scrawled in pen and pencil on lined notebook paper. They speak of wanting to become an ornithologist or a conservationist, of collecting nests and counting birds, writing their own bird books and even, in one example, making up their own Museum of Natural History where they themselves typed up the museum newsletter and illustrated it. This newsletter was so well done that the RTPI archivist presumed it was for some sort of junior club for a real-life museum until, a few letters and a bemused Google search later, she realized what was going on. These children were avid birdwatchers and naturalists. One boy even saved a Blue Jay from being attacked by neighborhood dogs, and his mother sent Roger a photo of the bird, now befriended, resting on the boy’s chest as he lounged outside in a lawn chair.

Most of the letters are from children who were ages nine to eleven in the 1960s, though some are a little younger (6) and some a tad older (14ish). They sent Roger watercolors of Whooping Cranes, a very detailed pencil drawing of the head of a Red-tailed Hawk, and even a colored pencil drawing of a hunched Eastern Chipmunk, from a boy in Clinton, New York. The birds are vibrant and lively—and some are startlingly good. One watercolor, from Jurgen at Rolén in Johanneshov, Stockholm, Sweden, from 1967, came accompanied by a radiant watercolor, titled “Ringed plover in summer” of a plover standing on a hill with a beach and the sea in the background, to thank Roger for sharing his paintings with the world. This letter, along with many of the others, ask if they could purchase a painting from Roger. Many asked for bespoke pieces, including “a canyon with geese flying through the canyon”, or even quite simply “a picture of a duck”. Sadly, Roger’s wife at the time, Barbara Peterson, was having to answer a lot of this correspondence because Roger was literally flying from one place to another—the Antarctic, Indonesia, Greece, and across the United States on lecture tours—so these commissions were not able to be fulfilled.

However, Roger made it very clear in his return letters how much he appreciated the gifts from the young naturalists, often ending his letters with, “I know of no other hobby that does so little harm and affords so much pleasure” and wishing them many years of success in their art and in birdwatching.

A handful of the works found in the RTPI Archive above can be seen below. Artists credits in order from left to right.

Featured artwork at top of post: Ringed plover in summer, Jurgen at Rolén, Sweden. Watercolor on paper, 1967.

Whooping Crane, Robert S Timmins, Jr., of Concord, Massachusetts. Watercolor and pencil on paper, 1968.

Two water birds, Puffin standing on a bluff, George Middleton. Watercolor on paper, 1969.

Harris Hawk, Stephen Spitler in Mill Valley, California, Crayon and pencil on paper, 1967.

Yellow Warbler, Russell (6 years old), crayon and pencil on paper, 1967.

Untitled sketch of a bird near a birdhouse, Laura Robinson. Blue ink on lined notebook paper, 1974.

Eastern Chipmunk, Stephen Butler. Crayon and pencil on paper, 1964.

Immature Green Heron, George M. of Concord, Massachusetts. Ink on paper, 1967.

Head of a Red-tailed Hawk, Jim Orr of Carmichael, California. Pencil on paper, 1973.

]]> https://rtpi.org/dear-dr-peterson/feed/ 0 Riverwalk System Not Just for Exercise Enthusiasts https://rtpi.org/riverwalk-system-not-just-for-exercise-enthusiasts/ https://rtpi.org/riverwalk-system-not-just-for-exercise-enthusiasts/#respond Wed, 04 Oct 2023 15:18:12 +0000 https://rtpi.org/?p=4287 Both were sitting behind their easels, but at different points on the bank of the Chadakoin River.

One artist was using acrylic paints while the other was using oil-based paints. Each was making sure the shading and lighting were as accurate as they could be. Both were painting the same live scene, but from different angles. No matter what angle they were painting, the view was beautiful on a recent Friday afternoon along the Jamestown Riverwalk System near the Board of Public Utilities buildings.

You can read the rest of the article here.

]]> https://rtpi.org/riverwalk-system-not-just-for-exercise-enthusiasts/feed/ 0 RTPI Plein Air Fest Draws Regional Artists https://rtpi.org/rtpi-plein-air-fest-draws-regional-artists/ https://rtpi.org/rtpi-plein-air-fest-draws-regional-artists/#respond Wed, 04 Oct 2023 14:58:43 +0000 https://rtpi.org/?p=4283 JAMESTOWN — Artists came with their materials ready to make their best creations possible during the opening day of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute’s Plein Air Festival.

“We have artists painting throughout Chautauqua County and it’s just a really wonderful event to celebrate the beautiful areas that we have,” RTPI Marketing and Communications Officer Jill Bornand said.

According to rtpi.org, the festival is a two-day, open enrollment, plein air painting event in Chautauqua County that was held Thursday and Friday. Artists had the opportunity to discover the beautiful natural scenery of Western New York which inspired a young Roger Tory Peterson. Artists may paint at a variety of locations within the area, with suggested locations that were provided two weeks prior to the festival. Locations were to include the RTPI nature preserve, the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, Audubon Community Nature Center, the downtown Jamestown Riverwalk, and Johnson Estate Winery.

You can read the rest of the article here.

]]> https://rtpi.org/rtpi-plein-air-fest-draws-regional-artists/feed/ 0 Artist Looks to Follow in Peterson’s Footsteps https://rtpi.org/artist-looks-to-follow-in-petersons-footsteps/ https://rtpi.org/artist-looks-to-follow-in-petersons-footsteps/#respond Wed, 04 Oct 2023 14:38:54 +0000 https://rtpi.org/?p=4278 Jamestown native and “bird artist” Alex Warnick has been painting since she was a kid but did not officially focus on only painting birds until she began her professional career.

Graduating from college with an art degree, Warnick began her professional artistry work in 2015. Often her work will be commissioned but she has also done work for scientific magazines or for educational purposes, fine art exhibits, magazines, guides and galleries. For the last eight years she has been painting only birds.

You can read the rest of the article here.

]]> https://rtpi.org/artist-looks-to-follow-in-petersons-footsteps/feed/ 0 RTPI Awarded Grant to Digitize 1959 Film Wild Europe https://rtpi.org/rtpi-awarded-grant-to-digitize-1959-film-wild-europe/ https://rtpi.org/rtpi-awarded-grant-to-digitize-1959-film-wild-europe/#respond Sun, 01 Oct 2023 19:15:08 +0000 https://rtpi.org/?p=4272 The Roger Tory Peterson Institute currently houses more than 200,000 linear feet of 16mm film Peterson produced in the 1950s and 1960s during his travels. Through grants from the National Film Preservation Foundation, RTPI has been able to create digital copies of Roger Tory Peterson’s documentary films Wild America (1953), Wild Africa (1972), Wild Eden (1967), and Flamingos on Four Continents (1958). The newest grant will allow digitization for Wild Europe (1959). You can read the whole article here.

]]> https://rtpi.org/rtpi-awarded-grant-to-digitize-1959-film-wild-europe/feed/ 0 Roger Tory Peterson Institute—Art that Matters to the Planet: Interconnectivity https://rtpi.org/roger-tory-peterson-institute-art-that-matters-to-the-planet-interconnectivity/ https://rtpi.org/roger-tory-peterson-institute-art-that-matters-to-the-planet-interconnectivity/#respond Wed, 09 Aug 2023 15:23:13 +0000 https://rtpi.org/?p=3922 “This summer, in my happy place at Roger Tory Peterson Institute, curator extraordinaire Maria Ferguson has brought together works from some my favorite local artists, as well as, new to me artists that reflect the Interconnectivity between human existence and the natural world from the roots of time to the present day. I call this phenomenon “Tree Spirit”. For me it is an accurate expression for the very essence of what is best about life here in Jamestown and throughout the Southern tier. It is our human recognition of our interconnectivity to and our historical reverence for, the natural world around us that makes living here an incomparable joy. We strive as a community to keep pace with progress and economic growth while remaining ever conscious of our ecological responsibilities.”

You can read the rest of Darlene’s article here.

]]> https://rtpi.org/roger-tory-peterson-institute-art-that-matters-to-the-planet-interconnectivity/feed/ 0 Art That Matters To The Planet: Interconnectivity — Signature Exhibitions Open At Roger Tory Peterson Institute https://rtpi.org/art-that-matters-to-the-planet-interconnectivity-signature-exhibitions-open-at-roger-tory-peterson-institute/ https://rtpi.org/art-that-matters-to-the-planet-interconnectivity-signature-exhibitions-open-at-roger-tory-peterson-institute/#respond Wed, 21 Jun 2023 20:07:47 +0000 https://rtpi.org/?p=3757 Inspired by emerging science and the insights of Suzanne Simard (“Finding the Mother Tree”) and Peter Wohlleben (“The Hidden Life of Trees”), “Art that Matters to the Planet: Interconnectivity” explores the underground network of tree roots, and how communication and nutrient sharing helps trees to thrive.

This connectivity of trees can serve as an analogy for interconnected relationships in creating strong communities. Read the rest of the article here

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