The Artist Arrives

It was a July afternoon and I had stepped up to cover the front desk for the last few hours of the day. Visitation usually slows down after lunch, so we're afforded more leisurely conversations as we get to know our visitors.

A friendly couple checked in midafternoon and immediately gravitated towards our carved fish sculpture. I naturally started chatting with them about the amazing artistry exhibited by the display. "Well, this is Charlie himself - he did the fish!," proudly announced his wife.

Charlie Dutter, artist behind the freshwater fish sculpture in our lobby, 
posed with his work (2024). The Museum receives regular commentary from 
visitors that they didn't realize the fish were wood carvings rather than real fish!
Find the specimen profile here.

I was delighted to meet the artist - a bit starstruck, in fact - having joined the Museum already after he had donated his work to our collection. Charlie thanked us for helping him clear a space in his garage (where the sculpture had previously sat before our care), obliged me with a photo, and then the two were on their way as inconspicuously as they arrived. 

"Front desk work always has a little reward," I thought.

Upon resurfacing this piece, I'm saddened to share that Charlie has recently passed away. His public obituary notes, "Above all else, Charles was a world-class woodcarver, a talent that brought him both pride and recognition."  We are thankful to Charlie for his dedication to thoughtfully and painstakingly connecting tens of thousands of viewers with the wonders of our local wildlife through artistic expression.