Birdwatching

Drawing from nature, the splendors of bird-watching, and the interconnectivity between humans and the natural world, this immersive experience takes viewers on a journey between the Joseph Manigault House, The Dewberry hotel, and the Garden & Gun offices at the Cigar Factory, sparking wonder and awareness of avian conservation. Curated and artistically directed by Kelly S. Turner, each individual birdscape is inspired by eighteenth- and nineteenth-century artist-naturalists and features the work of artists Brandon Ballengée, Clare Celeste Börsch, and J. Drew Lanham.

Join us at the following locations to experience the exhibition.

JOSEPH MANIGAULT HOUSE

Staged throughout the historic home, this immersive installation offers encounters with rare and endangered bird specimens as they soar through doorways, perch on mantles, and flutter in unexpected places. In each room, whimsical scenes showcase artifacts and objects from the Charleston Museum’s vast collections alongside various contemporary works, together contextualizing Southeastern birds and bringing Lowcountry histories to life.

Hours
Birdwatching at the Joseph Manigault House

Monday-Sunday | 12-2PM

The Joseph Manigault House will offer Birdwatching viewers open house-style self-guided tours, occurring daily from 12-2PM, included with regular admission. Interpreters will be positioned throughout the space to answer questions and provide contextual information about the Joseph Manigault House.

PURCHASE TOUR TICKETS
*Please note: To experience Birdwatching, please select the ticket option: (1) Site Ticket to be used at the Joseph Manigault House. 

THE LIVING ROOM
AT THE DEWBERRY HOTEL 

Sidle up to the Living Room’s inviting bar or nestle into a chic banquette to savor three exclusively crafted cocktails, each with special details and accompaniments inspired by Southeastern birds. A site of the Garden & Gun Birdwatching exhibition, the Living Room hosts a one-of-a-kind topiary installation depicting the great North American wood stork. A treasured bird of the Southeast, the wood stork is a once-endangered species now on the cusp of reemergence thanks to recent environmental stewardship efforts.

Hours

Monday-Thursday | 7AM-12PM, 3-11PM
Friday & Saturday | 7AM-2PM, 3PM-2AM
Sunday | 7AM-2PM, 3-11PM

*No ticket required for exhibition experience

GARDEN & GUN

Visit the first-floor gallery of the magazine’s Cigar Factory offices to view works by the exhibition’s featured artists, together drawing attention to avian histories long-vanished. By Clare Celeste Börsch, a collection of Earth Deity suits are on display, as well as an immersive chandelier installation titled Making the Invisible Visible. In addition, Brandon Ballengée’s Frameworks of Absence prints will be shown alongside his commissioned Birdwatching creation, RIP Carolina Parakeet: After John James Audubon. Each evening, keep your eyes peeled for striking images of extinct and endangered birds by Clare Celeste Börsch projected on the smokestack outside the building, accompanied by a powerful soundscape by J. Drew Lanham.

Hours

Indoor Gallery Viewing
Monday-Saturday | 10AM-5PM
Sunday | 12-5PM

Outdoor Projection Viewing
Monday-Sunday | 6:30-10:30PM

*No ticket required for exhibition experience

In Partnership with…

Explore Charleston
Silvercrest Asset Management Group
Atlantic Packaging & A New Earth Project
The Charleston Museum
The Dewberry Hotel

Per CDC recommendations, masks are encouraged if you have not been fully vaccinated. We appreciate your cooperation in helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our community.