In tribute to Kansas City Jazz legend Charlie “Bird” Parker and his 1946 tune titled “Ornithology,” New Jersey artist Willie Cole assembled a flock of twelve saxophone birds that fly over retail atrium B. The birds of Ornithology, defined as the science of birds, were assembled using hundreds of Alto Saxophones, Parker’s instrument of choice, and re-contextualizes the iconic bebop sound. The saxophones were manufactured by Mike Corrigan of the local business BAC Music and constructed by Cole inside the Boone Theatre in the Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District.

Known for using singular, ordinary objects to create sculptural installations, Willie Cole assembled the twelve birds of Ornithology exclusively from Alto Saxophones. Cole says, “it’s about layering and synchronizing symbols, about being both conceptual and contextual.” 

Kansas City has a rich history of Jazz, in which Charlie Parker was a highly influential figure. The choice to create birds came from a variety of inspiration beyond the obvious connection to flight at the airport, including Charlie Parker's nicknames “Bird” and “Yardbird” and the definition of Parker’s 1946 song “Ornithology,” meaning bird science. 

New Jersey native and acclaimed sculptural artist Willie Cole graduated from the Arts High School in Newark, earned his Bachelor of Fine Art from the School of Visual Arts in New York, studied further at the Art Students League of NY, and was an Artist-in-Residence at the Studio Museum of Harlem. His metaphoric, larger-than-life work has been exhibited in solo-collections as well as in some of the nation’s most prominent museums.

Ornithology, Willie Cole. Accessed October 27th, 2023. https://www.williecole.com/ornithology.

About Willie Cole, Willie Cole. Accessed October 27th, 2023. https://www.williecole.com/contact.

Smith, Harold. At KCI, Jazz Meets Visual Art in Willie Cole’s ‘Ornithology’, KC Studio Magazine. January 3rd, 2023. Accessed October 27th, 2023. https://kcstudio.org/at-kci-jazz-meets-visual-art-in-willie-coles-ornithology/.