Ashlee Mays will be in residence at PS1 June 23-29, working in the IC Press Co-op studio and holding a public event:

Tuesday June 29 at 6pm
We Know Who You Are, By What You Say
a bird listening activity

Humans have a tendency to repeat information that they hear, like birds, we learn songs and stories from those we hold close, and we sing those tunes and share those words, over and over again.

90% of bird watching can be done through auditory experiences, as in, it is often easier to hear the birds around us than it is to see them. The trick is being able to identify who a bird is by what they are saying. If we take some time to learn the songs of the birds around us, our world will get bigger. Listening is an active state, and when we listen closely, it could help us see both sides of the same coin.

At this event, we will learn the songs of those birds we hold the closest, and then go on a walk. During the walk we will practice community science, keeping a log of the birds we observe with our ears.

supported by the Community Foundation of Johnson County

Ashlee Mays is an artist, printmaker, and director of the Museum of Infinite Outcomes. Her work crosses genres of art, ecology, pseudoscience, and game theory. Mays holds a Bachelors of Fine Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a Masters of Fine Art from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and occasionally moonlights as a landscape painter. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mays has been serving with Beardsley Community Farm in growing organic produce to donate to food insecure communities. She is fond of geese, ducks, gardens and those who keep them.