The James Marsh Professors-at-Large Program is a UVM program designed to 
bring outstanding individuals of international distinction in the arts 
and humanities, sciences, social sciences, and applied fields to campus.

Jennifer Monson developed BIRD BRAIN (2000-2011) which includes the 
theatrical work Flight of Mind (2005) and four migratory dance tours: 
Gray Whales (Spring 2001); Ospreys (Fall 2002); Ducks and Geese (Spring 
2004); and Northern Wheatears (Fall 2011). Each tour followed the 
migrations of animals offering performances, workshops and panel 
discussions on navigation, migration and conservation.

Michelle Patenaude and I will be talking with her about her work in the 
context of bird migration.  Feel free to stop by if you are near campus 
tomorrow afternoon.  There are some other dance events this coming weekend.

Migration, Navigation, Observation: Three approaches to the study of 
bird migration
Wednesday, September 26th
4:30 p.m., 102 Aiken Center, University of Vermont
A panel discussion with Jennifer Monson, Michele Patenaude, and Allan Strong

Three panelists share observational practices on the study of bird 
migration. Allan Strong is Associate Dean of the Rubenstein School for 
Environment and Natural Resources; his research focuses on the factors 
that influence habitat quality for birds. Michele Patenaude teaches 
Ornithology at the Community College of Vermont and works at the UVM 
Libraries; she'll speak about the techniques used by ornithologists and 
how they've changed in recent decades. Choreographer and 
environmentalist Jennifer Monson is a Professor of Dance at University 
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; her BIRD BRAIN performance was a 
multi-year navigational project that followed the migration of birds 
such as ospreys, ducks and geese.
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Live Dancing Archive
Thursday -- Saturday, September 27th-29th, 2012
8 p.m., Mann Auditorium, University of Vermont
Free and open to the public; seating is limited
A discussion with collaborating artists will follow the performance on 
Friday, September 28th

Jennifer Monson's newest work, Live Dancing Archive, explores the 
dancing body in conjunction with the moving image of video and other 
media as an archive of place, experience and systems. The project uses 
the conceptual framework of the archive to build three interrelated 
components: an evening length solo performance, a video installation, 
and an on-line archive. The solo has been created from the research 
dance footage of the Osprey Migration, a component of BIRD BRAIN, 
Monson's multi-year navigational dance project following the migratory 
patterns of birds from New England to South America, as well as from 
improvisational strategies developed from the experience of dancing in 
the outdoors over the past 20 years.

Collaborating artists include video/new media artist Robin Vachal, 
composer/sound designer, Jeff Kolar and lighting designer Joe Levassuer.

The video installation will be continuously exhibited at Mann 
Auditorium, Wednesday-Saturday, September 26th-29th from noon to 8 p.m.

The on-line archive is available at http://www.ilandart.org/?page_id=504



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Allan M. Strong
University of Vermont
The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources
220L Aiken Center

81 Carrigan Drive
Burlington, VT 05405
802-656-2910
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