Isle a la Cache Museum - "Passenger Pigeons Over Voyageurs"
I’ve had the honor of working with the Isle a la Cache Museum twice. Nestled in a forest preserve, the museum focuses on the history of the fur trade. The Facilities Manager, Chris Gutmann, is an expert in birds and nature, and wanted to shed light on the sad extinction of the Passenger Pigeon. These pigeons were once the most abundant birds in North America, until their numbers greatly declined after European settlement. In the 19th century, their large flocks were so large that the sound of them passing overhead was deafening. One flock was described as 1 mile wide by 300 miles long, and took 14 hours to pass. This mural shows voyageurs at that time, unloading their canoes with furs and trading goods. They stop to look up at the giant flock of Passenger Pigeons flying overhead. The mural stands at 16’ high, so visitors can get a full-size impression of that moment in time.
Isle a la Cache Museum, "Passenger Pigeons over Voyageurs"
Close up of mural
Close up of mural
Before
Sketch
Progress Photo: Painting mural in Los Angeles Studio (bottom 1/2 of mural)
Progress Photo: Paint mural in Los Angeles Studio (top 1/2 of mural).
Installation by Jef Reese, JR's Wallpaper
"Passenger Pigeons over the Fur Trade" by Hattas Public Murals Watch Jeanine Hattas Wilson start with blank canvas to transform this room at Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville, IL. The mural shows the extinct Passenger Pigeons flying over French Voyageurs during the North American Fur Trade. These flocks were so dense, they would block out the sun. Jeanine paints the mural in her studio on two giant pieces of canvas, and then installs them just like wallpaper. See more mural time-lapse videos, and more about this mural at www.hattas.com. See the mural in person: Isle a la Cache Museum 501 E Romeo Rd Romeoville, IL 60446 http://www.reconnectwithnature.org/visitor-centers/icm Mural painted by Jeanine Hattas Wilson, Hattas Public Murals Mural hung by Jef Reese, J.R.'s Wallpaper Mural commissioned by Forest Preserve District of Will County