APSU adds collaborative art installation to protect wild birds

By: Andrea Spofford November 19, 2024

Featuring work by Taro Takizawa, this hand-cut vinyl installation combines artistic design and scientific knowledge to aid in wild bird conservation. | Photo by Ralph Acosta  

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - The Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA) at APSU has announced a new public art installation in collaboration with the Department of Art + Design, the Center of Excellence for Field Biology (CEFB), and the College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM).  

Featuring work by Taro Takizawa and located on the large glass window of the Art + Design Building on the corner of Jackson Alley and Henry Street, this hand-cut vinyl installation combines artistic design and scientific knowledge to aid in wild bird conservation.  

“Collisions with windows are the second-most common cause (after feral/outdoor cats) of human-related bird mortality, accounting for an estimated tens or even hundreds of millions of casualties each year in North America,” said Dr. Stefan Woltmann, CEFB director. “I am thrilled that we could contribute to the installation of this beautiful artwork and am hopeful that we can expand on the idea of using art to save birds across campus.” 

Since the opening of the APSU Art + Design Building in 2017, the CEFB has recorded a significant number of bird strikes on the large reflective panes of glass of the conference room window, causing the death of many migratory birds. This public work aims to showcase how environmental design can create a bridge between art, design, and the scientific conservation of wild birds. 

This installation is also an example of CECA’s support for the public arts, enriching the community experience of the creative arts on campus, and providing free access to a new interdisciplinary public art installation for the Clarksville/Montgomery County community through sponsorship of this piece.  

“Collaborating between disciplines is at the heart of what we do as artists,” said Michael Dickins, director and curator of The New Gallery. “This project is the fifth public art piece I have brought to APSU and the third that has combined art, design, and science. This work by Taro Takizawa is not only a bold visual statement on the side of the Art + Design Building, but it also brings awareness to the work and research conducted by the Center of Excellence for Field Biology—and, hopefully, saves some birds in the process.” 

To learn more about CECA, contact Dr. Andrea Spofford at spofforda@apsu.edu or visit the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts website. To learn more about CEFB, contact Dr. Stefan Woltmann at woltmanns@apsu.edu or visit the Center of Excellence for Field Biology website.  

Taro Takizawa works to install a hand-cut vinyl display at the Art + Design Building to protect wild birds from window collisions. | Photo by Ralph Acosta

About the Artist

Taro Takizawa is an artist who focuses on printmaking, wall vinyl installations, drawings and 2D designs. Born in Japan, he has been making images connecting what he has experienced growing up in Japan and living in the U.S. His works contain both western and eastern aesthetics with appreciation of traditional printmaking processes and mark making. He is fascinated with blending the boundaries of contemporary studio practice and traditional processes, printmaking and installations, influenced by traditional Japanese patterns from textile designs, architecture and crafts.

He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts with a printmaking emphasis from Central Michigan University in 2011, and a Master of Fine Arts in printmaking from Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts in 2017. Takizawa has exhibited nationally and internationally at venues such as Fowler-Kellogg Art Center, PARADOX European Fine Art Forum and its exhibition at CK amek in Poznan, Poland; and ArtPrize 10 at Grand Rapids Public Museum, LUX Center for the Arts, Ty Pawb in Wales and China Printmaking Museum. He recently went to artist residencies at Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts in Ithaca, New York, Morgan Conservatory in Cleveland, Ohio, and GoggleWorks in Reading, Pennsylvania.