The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum

The Aldrich has mounted several exhibitions dealing with the subject of birds-painted, sculpted, stuffed, even living over the course of its exhibition history. To help celebrate the 300th anniversary of Ridgefield's founding, the Museum will exhibit a major work by artist Bill Barrette, The Bird Collector. Commissioned by The Aldrich in 1999 and currently in the collection of the Ridgefield Historical Society, The Bird Collector celebrates Edward J. Couch, an amateur Ridgefield taxidermist who a century ago assembled one of the most significant collections of mounted birds native to New England. Barrette's work recreates Couch's impressive collection, as well as revealing the fascinating biography of one of Ridgefield's most interesting citizens.