In this workshop, beginners will be introduced to professional techniques used in classic bird taxidermy. The birds used in this class are English sparrows, considered an invasive species, but beautiful nonetheless. 

This intensive class will be extremely hands on, covering everything from proper skinning, fleshing, degreasing/washing, and grooming and fluffing downs, to the dynamics

of sculpting bird bodies, dealing with bird necks, cleaning and wiring bones, and preserving or re-attaching feet.

We will pay special attention to

fitting forms, hidden stitches, and how to groom feathers.

Students can create a naturalistic or fantasy mount. Students will go home with their creations, and instructions for maintaining their pieces

(keeping feathers clean, ideal drying set-ups, etc).

It is recommended students

bring a small box or bag to transport their finished pieces.

Divya Anantharaman is an award winning professional taxidermist based in New York City. Her taxidermy practice was sparked by a lifelong fascination with the intersection of natural mythology and science, and she specializes in birds, small mammals, and anatomic anomalies. With a combination of self and professional training, she creates both fantasy and traditional pieces, and teaches classes around the world. Her most recent honor is winning second place in the professional division at the World Taxidermy Championships of 2017, her work is on display in the Chamber of Wonders at the Walter’s Art Museum, and has been profiled in numerous publications as varied as National Geographic, The NY Times, The Cut, BBC Science Radio, and on hit Discovery/Science Channel TV show Oddities. She is also a board member of the New England Association of Taxidermists, and has coauthored the book “Stuffed Animals” being released by W.W. Norton this fall. You can find out more at www.gothamtaxidermy.com