Birding, Painting, and Peace at the Wallace House
Timothy Joe leading a plein air painting workshop at the Wallace House.
On Saturday, April 19, 2025 the Wallace Center hosted the Joe Brothers (Chris and Tim Joe) at the Wallace House for a restorative and peaceful day of birdwatching and plein air painting. On the Wallace Center’s six acre lot in Harpersville, Alabama, the Joe Brothers spent the morning walking attendees across the land to view birds native to the area and paint the beauty of the trees and area.
Chris Joe and event participants while walking the Wallace to view birds.
A White-Throated Sparrow on the Wallace Land.
The Joe Brothers are third-generation farmers and cattle ranchers, and birdwatchers. They carry on a long tradition of Black people who engage in bird watching as a form of recreation. Their work honors one of the methods of resilience that enslaved people in America used to endure bondage.
“Sometimes, when the wind was just right, the slaves could hear the wings of birds passing overhead, invisible behind the tall trees, and for a moment they would stop and look up, dreaming of what it would be like to ride the wind.”
The Known World, Edward P. Jones (2003).
Taking a moment to capture the world around us is vital to self care and honoring the lives of people who came before us and persisted in struggle.