Professor Jon Kessler Brings 'The Fourth Bird' to Mildred's Lane Art Complex

Visual Arts Professor of Professional Practice and Concentration Head of Expanded Practice/Sculpture Jon Kessler showcases his newest exhibition, The Fourth Bird, at Mildred's Lane Complex(ity) from June 28 to August 2, 2025. 

While The Fourth Bird draws comparisons to Calder's stabiles and ikebana flower arrangement, the collection of art objects is a totally unique reflection of modern ecological anxieties—and hopes. The whimsical, upcycled statues evoke a sense of movement and play in an industrial wasteland. 

"Expanding on his recent explorations in bronze and ceramics, these works conjure post-pastoral landscapes, where beauty and ecological collapse intertwine," wrote Mildred's Lane. "Kessler’s work has long straddled the boundary between speaking to modern anxieties and actively eliciting them in the viewer…In The Fourth Bird, Kessler has moved away from these aggressively confrontational works toward more subtle and mournful evocations of ecological fragility." 

Mildred's Lane is more than a gallery, but an incubator for interdisciplinary experimentation in the arts. They host workshops, symposia, lectures, and exhibits, as well as artists-in-residence; all toward the mission of creating social engagement at the intersection of art, ecology, and history. The center for contemporary art is based in Narrowsburg, New York. 

Jon Kessler received a BFA from SUNY at Purchase and the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program. He has exhibited his work widely in Europe, Japan, and the United States. He has sculptures in the permanent collections of many institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Walker Art Center, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. He has received several NEA grants, the St. Gaudens Memorial Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Foundation for the Performing Arts grant. There are three major publications of his work. He plays guitar and harmonica with the art rock band The X-Patsys.