Mary Lucking

Birdie Umwelt

Mary Lucking’s work ranges from large-scale permanent artworks to temporary interactive installations. She has incorporated art into urban and rural walking paths, bike trails, public transit stations, college campuses, and neighborhood parks. Mary holds a bachelor of arts degree, cum laude, in architecture from Welesley College and a master of fine arts in art and technology from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Lucking lives and works in Phoenix.

“When I first visited the Mustang Transit Center site, I was struck by the number of birds that made their homes around the library,” Lucking said. “Thinking about the differences in the way we humans and birds use and perceive spaces, I wondered what books in the nearby Mustang Library these creatures might find most compelling.”

Titled Birdie Umwelt, this collection of sculptures and sandblasted designs is an interpretation of this idea. It comprises 20 bronze and stainless steel sculptures of house finches reading different books plus a bird house that mimics the postmodern architecture of the library, connecting the east side bus shelter and the library. Throughout the pathways are images of birds, feathers, and lettering sandblasted into the pavement.

This artwork contains AR components.

Meet artist Mary Lucking as she describes the artwork and shares her inspiration behind the birds reading the books.

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