Joann Brennan

Joann Brennan, Mallard Egg Contraception Research, located in the “Simulated Natural Environment Room.” National Wildlife Research Center. Fort Collins, Colorado, 2000 chromogenic print, 20 x 24 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Julie and Robert Lewis, 2010.45.2, © 2000, Joann Brennan

Joann Brennan, Mallard Egg Research Testing Potential Chemical Contraceptives Designed to Manage Overabundant Canada Goose Populations. National Wildlife Research Center. Fort Collins, Colorado, 2000, chromogenic print, 20 x 24 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by Mrs. Alexander Hamilton Rice, 2010.67, © 2000, Joann Brennan

In her Managing Eden series, Joann Brennan grapples with the question of how we sustain wildness in a human world. Here, Brennan captures the work of scientists who are attempting to control Canada goose populations. Canada geese have become a potential threat to public health in suburban areas where green spaces and artificial waterways offer ideal habitats. Brennan’s image considers the necessity of human intervention to maintain the balance between human needs and those of avian populations.

Joann Brennan, Peregrine Falcon. Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Zoology Department (over 900 speciments in the collection). Denver, Colorado, 2006, chromogenic print, 20 x 24 in., Courtesy of the artist, © Joann Brennan. Image courtesy of the artist, Denver, CO

In addition to picturing bird conservation in the field, Joann Brennan’s Managing Eden project documents scientists and specimens in museums. The falcon pictured here is in the collection of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Its powerful wing extends upward as reminder of the bird’s former speed and strength. Brennan hopes that images like this will raise appreciation for the valuable role that museums play in the stewardship of nature. The solutions to tomorrow’s environmental crises could lie in the specimen drawers of today’s museums.

Joann Brennan, Extinct Species, Passenger Pigeon. Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Zoology Department (over 900 speciments in the collection). Denver, Colorado, 2006, chromogenic print, 20 x 24 in., Courtesy of the artist, © Joann Brennan. Image courtesy of the artist, Denver, CO

Joann Brennan, King Fisher Specimen with Arsenic. Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Zoology Department (over 900 speciments in the collection). Denver, Colorado, 2005, chromogenic print, 20 x 24 in., Courtesy of the artist, © Joann Brennan. Image courtesy of the artist, Denver, CO

Joann Brennan, Researchers, Exploring Strategies for Managing Black Vulture Populations, Prepare to Draw Blood From a Captured Black Vulture. National Wildlife Research Center. Gainesville, Florida, 2001, chromogenic print, 20 x 24 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by David S. Purvis, 2010.66, © 2000, Joann Brennan