Artwork for a celebration honoring the dead is - for a few days - slightly reducing the chances for migratory birds to strike hazardous glass windows at the Sheldon Art Gallery.
Colorful decorations hung in the west windows of the gallery for the Day of the Dead Celebration, render the building glass less of a threat to birds present among landscaping on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln city campus.
The cut paper works - made by class students - were installed on October 22nd, and will be kept in place through November 5th, according to gallery staff.
"El Dia de los Muertos is a centuries-old spiritual tradition celebrating the continuity of life by honoring the dead on their return to earth for one day each year," according to information about the celebration.
Decorations on glass windows at Sheldon Art Gallery.
Numerous birds have been killed because of striking the transparent windows at Sheldon. Nearly 20 records are available from 1992-2002, for the 15-day time period during which the hangings will be in place. Bird species which have been struck dead include the American Robin, Common Grackle, Dark-eyed Junco, Field Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
Sheldon Gallery - with the building itself considered a work of art - was built in 1963. Birds are regularly heard striking windows, gallery staff said.
The number of known strikes is much less than the actual extent of bird deaths, with many other occurrences throughout the year at Sheldon. The overall tally is more than 130 known window strike deaths. More have occurred on the west side of the building than on the east side, based on those records where the particular place where a bird carcass was found.
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