The Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Plum Creek Nature Center will host a “Winged Ambassadors” art display from June 3 through Sept. 6.

The free exhibit features 28 paintings by Chicago-based artist and writer Marcia Whitney-Schenck. Visitors will see creative interpretations of state birds and learn about their significance to the states that chose them. Whitney-Schenck uses watercolor, fluid acrylics, collage and embroidery to create whimsical works filled with visual puns and imaginative storytelling.

“The joy Marcia finds in both birds and the artistic process will be clear to all who visit,” said Heather Van Zyl, facility supervisor at Plum Creek Nature Center. “After viewing the exhibit, visitors may see the birds in the preserve and their neighborhoods in a new light thanks to the personality on display in each piece.”

Whitney-Schenck said she wanted the paintings to present birds in a playful, creative way rather than mimic traditional wildlife art.

“The project was to show state birds in a creative light, even amusing, not an imitation of Audubon,” she said via email.

Several works incorporate personal touches and family memories, including embroidery that reminded the artist of her late mother and layered imagery connected to photographs taken by her late husband.

“Hopefully, the viewers might be amused and entertained — a few happy moments in a world that seems increasingly tense and sad,” Whitney-Schenck said.

Van Zyl said Forest Preserve art exhibits help visitors connect with nature in new ways.

“Artists have unique ways of viewing the world around them and expressing it in different forms. Connection in any form is valuable, and we appreciate different perspectives and how others may draw inspiration from them.”

Visitors who want to combine birdwatching with the exhibit can register for a “Winged Ambassadors” Avian Amble on Thursday, June 4. Children interested in creating artwork inspired by Illinois symbols can register for the It’s Giving … Illinois program on Wednesday, July 8. Online registration is available on the Forest Preserve’s website, ReconnectWithNature.org.

Plum Creek Nature Center is located at 27064 S. Dutton Road, north of Goodenow Road, in Crete Township near Beecher.