Bird of Passage

Bird of Passage, Numbers 1-25
Craig Marshall Smith
1983
Mixed media on masonite
Purchased by the Fine Arts Committee, Friends of the Library and Museum, and Bemis Trust.

This permanent installation is a significant feature of the Bemis Library. Its creator, CM Smith,
studied at UCLA and was teaching at then Metro State University at the time of the commission. He has since retired to Highlands Ranch where he continues to work. Smith had first thought to paint pelicans but was inspired by the masses of geese that can be seen migrating through Colorado. Inspiration was also drawn from Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904) who used photography to capture the movement of animals and birds. Smith hid multiple things in his paintings. The skeletons of some birds peak through the layers but one bird also hides the silhouette of a rabbit (see if you can find it). The artist also hid magazines and other documents behind the panels of some pieces like a time capsule.
--Curatorial statement by Littleton Museum interns Sarah Lillis and Chantel Baker, 2017.

26 panels commissioned for $10,000. One is in storage/part of the Fine Arts Board Rotating Collection. The twenty-five others hang in the Bemis Library.

The Fine Arts Collection consists of artwork acquired for the City of Littleton's public art collection, or art portfolio. The collection includes permanent installations in City-owned public parks and buildings, as well as a large collection of rotating artworks which are only available for exhibition in City-owned buildings, such as the Littleton Center, Bemis Public Library, Littleton Court House, and the Littleton Museum. Artworks in the Rotating Collection are exhibited for short terms in order to avoid light damage, pest infestation, vandalism, etc., as well as to freshen up public spaces on occasion. When on display, the Rotating Collection artworks are located indoors and may not be accessible during evening or weekend hours.

Owner: City of Littleton
Maintenance Authority: City of Littleton - Fine Arts Board/Littleton Museum