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Culture
John James Audubon Comes Home
World-renowned artist and Henderson native to be honored with statue
Artist Raymond Graf teamed up with the Henderson Branding Coalition to develop the centerpiece of a series of statues representing Audubon’s work.John James Audubon is known worldwide as a 19th-century naturalist and painter of birds and wildlife.
In Henderson, he’s recognized as a native son – a local businessman who spent nine years building a life in the small Southern town and exploring his natural surroundings. This fall, he will effectively return to Henderson when a life-sized, cast bronze statue depicting the artist is unveiled in Audubon Mill Park. The statue promises to be a centerpiece to an already popular public art collection of cast bronze bird sculptures that decorate downtown Henderson, according to Julie T. Martin, executive director of the Main Street Renaissance Program and the Downtown Henderson Project.
“John James Audubon was an incredible artist,” Martin says. “This collection of his work is just another reason to bring people to downtown Henderson. This statue will be another signature piece of our history.”
To bring the statue from concept to reality, the Henderson Branding Coalition got involved, Martin says. The committee, which consists of members of several community organizations and the Henderson-Henderson County Chamber of Commerce, commissioned the talents of Louisville artist Raymond Graf to add yet another Audubon piece to his resume. Since the project began in 2002, Graf has sculpted 10 life-size replicas depicting some of Audubon’s most famous paintings, such as “Great Blue Heron” and “Wild Turkey Cock.”
“My initial concept [for Audubon] was to have him sitting in the woods with a sketchbook. But after reading his history, I changed it,” Graf says. “Audubon will have a rifle as if he were out in the woods scouting around for birds.”
Although it doesn’t paint the romantic vision many Audubon fans may imagine, the artist had to kill the birds he painted, Graf says. In the early 1800s, photography didn’t exist. Audubon brought the birds to his studio and pinned them up into poses for painting. Among these birds was the white pelican, which will sit adjacent to the Audubon statue.
“I chose the pelican because in one of Audubon’s journals, he wrote that the pelican was common on the Ohio River, especially in Henderson,” Graf says. “They’re not there anymore, but I wanted it to be a little educational.”
Don Boarman, former curator of the John James Audubon State Park Museum, says the museum endorses the statue series that will finally include a “long overdue” depiction of Audubon himself.
“Audubon’s name is recognized everywhere,” Boarman says. “He spent some of the best years of his life here, and now this statue will be here for generations.”
Story by Emily Landsdell
Photo by Antony Boshier
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