Cornell Lab of Ornithology Hosts ‘Scions of Air’ Exhibit by Melissa Mance

An exhibition “Scions of Air,” by Melissa Mance (MFA, ’09), adjunct professor at RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, will be on view from Feb. 13 to April 30 at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca. An opening reception will be held this Friday, Feb. 13, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Mance dedicates the show to her father who passed away in January. She says her passion for painting and drawing birds evolved from spending time at an early age in her father’s workshop learning how to carve and paint traditional decoys—a craft tradition learned from old timers on the St. Lawrence River.

Before coming to RIT to study painting, Mance attended the Cleveland Institute of Art and followed a career path as a naturalist, wildlife rehabilitator and animal trainer—which included educational shows with trained birds of prey.