backstory: The Squirrel
Let me set the scene: I’m standing at the window, coffee in hand, watching a squirrel in my garden attempt what can only be described as Mission: Impossible—but with more tail flicking and less Tom Cruise. He’s going after the supposedly “squirrel-proof” bird feeder. Spoiler: it is not.
I tried reasoning with him. He wasn’t receptive. Then I moved the feeder into the middle of a rose bush. The thorns seem to be working—so far. Meanwhile, the birds* wait patiently on nearby branches, watching the drama unfold.
Somewhere between shouting “Not today!” out the window and Googling “best squirrel deterrent,” I realized: this snack heist in my garden is a kind of liminal space. It’s the edge between intention and instinct, between the cultivated and the wild.
Our current exhibition, Liminal in Nature, is all about those in-between spaces—the soft borders between humans and habitats, landscapes and memory, stillness and motion. The bird feeder, like the artworks on view, invites attention. Come see the show.
As we wrap up the semester and the garden blossoms by the day, I’m leaning into unpredictability. Maybe the best kind of beauty is the kind that doesn’t behave. Just like the squirrel.
Tracy Fitzpatrick
Director, Neuberger Museum of Art
*If you haven’t heard of it, check out the Merlin Bird ID app that helps identify birds by their appearance, sound, or a photo. It’s surprisingly addictive.
