Conservation Through the Arts:
Celebrating the Federal Duck Stamp
September 5 2024 - February 9, 2024
The exhibition showcases a unique array of paintings, drawings and etchings by renowned wildlife artists to tell the story of one of the most successful conservation initiatives of all time: the Federal Duck Stamp. Since its launch in 1934, the Federal Duck Stamp has raised more than $1 billion to preserve wetlands across the United States. All duck hunters must purchase the stamp, which supports acquisition and conservation of wetlands where ducks (and many other species) thrive.
In the early years of the program, the annual stamp design was selected by a panel from a shortlist of invited wildlife artists. Since 1949, a contest has been hosted to choose the winning design. Today, it is the only art competition run by the U.S. government.
Conservation Through the Arts brings together over 60 original artworks selected for the Duck Stamp, marking the first time these historical treasures have been publicly displayed together. Alongside, visitors can see rare stamps including plate blocks and examples of the presentation panes given to the winning artist, masterful carved decoys, and taxidermy from our natural history collection. Younger visitors may enjoy interactives such as a stamp station, eggs that rotate to reveal pictures of ducklings, and buttons that play duck calls (many with unexpected tones).
Media Coverage:
Review of the exhibition by James Baron at the New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/22/arts/duck-stamp-bruce-museum.html
Archived video stream of the 2024 Duck Stamp Contest, held live at the Bruce Museum:
https://www.fws.gov/program/federal-duck-stamp/federal-duck-stamp-contest-event-information
John Oliver provided a hilarious review, not of the exhibition, but of the Duck Stamp program itself:
Photos above by Patrick Sikes.