A vibrant red, black and white Red-Headed Woodpecker perches in Tarble Arts Center. But it’s not alive, it’s made of wood.

The woodpecker is one of 52 birds from across the nation that are on display for the centers most recent exhibit.

Eastern alum Joseph Zupsich, graduate of 1942 with a Latin degree, created the birds throughout 1997 and 2000.

“Joe’s birds are arresting, they appeal to the eye and convey an artist’s approach to handling ordinary materials and converting them into beautiful works of art,” said Dario Covi, an Eastern graduate of 1943 in art.

Zupsich made a few birds for Covi and his wife Madeline after she saw his work. Zupsich started carving animals and other figures from wood after he retired from teaching.

“Some of these became gifts to family and friends, while the others joined our collection of prints, drawings, paintings by local, regional and nationally and internationally recognized artist, such as Picasso and Lasansky, to name two,” Mr. Covi said. “The birds seemed comfortable in this company.”

The Covi’s are longtime friends of Zupsich and chose to donate the collection to Tarble because it has a distinguished folk art collection and because of his and Zupsich’s connection with Eastern as students, Mr. Covi said.

While looking at the Red-Headed Woodpecker, one of the many North American birds depicted in Zupsich’s collection, Eric Bollinger, biology professor, noticed that the colors the artist choose were very similar to the painting in his bird book.

With black tails, black and white wings and a red neck, throat and head, the Red-Headed Woodpeckers are distinctive, but also a rarity.

“It’s a bird that is not doing very well everywhere,” Bollinger said. “(However, the) Red-Headed Woodpecker reaches its highest density in Illinois.”

The woodpecker and other carved birds like a Chickadee, Hooded Warbler,

Nightingale and Illinois’ state bird Cardinal well represent the living animals through colors and shapes.

“You can definitely recognize the bird,” said Bollinger. “They’re all interesting.”

Zupsich researched the birds he carved through photographs and personal encounters and choose to carve his creations with various woods.

“I enjoy carving with wood because wood shows lines, color and texture – lines apparent even in painted birds,” Zupsich said.

He carved his birds in a variety of woods that include Osage orange, oak, cherry, Honduras mahogany, African soft mahogany, maple, poplar and ash.

Often times, Zupsich would combine different woods to create a different effect.

Although the carvings were constructed from personal experience and photographs, the birds are not exact in size.

The birds are not necessarily to scale but it was probably not the artist’s intention, Bollinger said.

While observing a brightly painted Goldfinch, Bollinger said that in person the bird would appear half the size of the carved version.

Zupsich might not have had accuracy in mind while carving the flying creatures but his birds are educational pieces as well as an art form.

Bollinger, who teaches an ornithology class in the spring terms, said that if the exhibit was still open he would encourage his students to observe the birds.

“Any sort of depiction of a bird would help them (students) learn,” he said adding that a carving might be a better learning tool than a textbook. “It’s educational from an artist sense.”

No matter what the purpose, whether it is to see art or see a variety of birds, students, classmates of Zupsich and families have flocked to see his collection.

Because the collection belongs to an Eastern alumn, Watts finds it to be a positive addition to the art center.

“We’ve had all kinds of people,” said Tarble Arts director Michael Watts. “I think its been well received.”

This Phoebe is one of the 52 types of carved birds that was donated to the Tarble arts center in the collection carved EIU alumnus Joseph Zupsic. The exhibit is on display until Sunday, August 27th.

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