The Roger Tory Peterson Institute is hoping to continue to experience growth under its “new strategic vision” plan. Pictured is Maria Ferguson, curator at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, along with artwork displayed at the “Hope Is the Thing with Feathers: Contemporary Women Nature Artists” exhibit. P-J photo by Timothy Frudd

The Roger Tory Peterson Institute is experiencing significant growth as it strives to become a vibrant part of the Jamestown community.

Pearson told The Post-Journal the Roger Tory Peterson Institute has been working hard to expand and become a community asset. Whether people visit the Roger Tory Peterson Institute to enjoy the art, nature, architecture, food and drink at special events or the community fellowship, Pearson said the museum and nature center is striving to become an active part of community life in Jamestown.

“This is a place that is a sanctuary,” Pearson said. “It gives you intellectual stimulation, it gives you soulful stimulation, it gives you fellowship. Art by definition is inspirational; architecture is inspirational. Nature, we would like to think, is inspirational. All of these things combined in this place makes the Roger Tory Peterson Institute one of those experiences that enriches people’s lives.”

Pearson added that the Roger Tory Peterson Institute is trying to cultivate a variety of experiences that inspire visitors.

“We’ve been around for a lot of years,” he said. “We owe it to the community to open up our arms and doors as wide as possible to come and experience the uniqueness this place.”

Pearson believes there is no other building quite like the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Western New York and no other legacy like Roger Tory Peterson’s legacy in the state or event the country. He described the Roger Tory Peterson Institute as a “nexus experience” that combines art and nature together.

“We’ve been around for a long time, but we’ve evolved,” Pearson said. “There are a lot of people who still don’t know just who and what we are. We’re still in the process of sort of reintroducing ourselves to the community, and we have evolved over the last few years. As we like to say, ‘We feel like we’re a brand new 40-year-old organization.'”

With the Roger Tory Peterson’s new strategic vision plan, Pearson is encouraging people in the community to come see what is new at the museum and nature center. Pearson said the Roger Tory Peterson Institute is trying to honor one of Jamestown’s “hometown heroes” by carrying on the legacy of Roger Tory Peterson. As a hometown hero who was born and raised in the Jamestown region, was inspired by the “beauty and nature” of Jamestown and enjoyed a career of international fame, Pearson described Peterson’s legacy as genuinely significant both nationally and internationally.

“We honor that legacy by harboring the largest collection for Roger’s artwork, by nurturing the next generation who do today what Roger did then, inviting us to have a deeper relationship with the natural world,” he said. “It’s inspiring; it’s fun. This is where his legacy lives, and we promise you if you come to the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, you’re going to come back again and again.”

Explaining the Roger Tory Peterson Institute’s ability to inspire the next generation of artists and nature lovers, Pearson referenced what is called a “spark bird” in the birding community. He said a spark bird is a bird that once a person sees it, they suddenly become fascinated and interested with birds “forever.” Similarly, Pearson said when a person visits the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, they will find something that sparks their imagination and transforms them into a “lifelong lover” of nature, birds, art and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute.

“Everyone’s trying to be heard in a noisy world,” he said. “What we believe we truly offer here is that spark that gives you something that your heart and soul and body need, even though you might not necessarily know, but you’re going to get that here. Who wouldn’t want that opportunity to have their imagination fired?”

As the Roger Tory Peterson Institute implements its new strategic vision, Pearson said the nature center doubled its attendance last year. Pearson believes the new vision is working as people are starting to take an increased interest in the museum and nature center.

“We’re really trying to fulfill the potential of this place,” he said. “That’s the reason I took the job three years ago. It was the exceptionality of this legacy, of this building and not just looking backward, but looking forward. It’s just thrilling.”

Pearson said the Roger Tory Peterson Institute is actively engaging in conversations regarding ways to raise awareness for the organization, build trust with visitors and the local community and how to attract new people to the nature center. As the Roger Tory Peterson Institute moves forward with its new vision, Pearson believes the power of art and the next generation of artists will continue to resonate with visitors.

“We have artists who are using that power of art to help us see the world in ways that we just could not have imagined without an artist helping us to look at this world in this particular way,” he said. “That’s the power of art. This is why we do what we do.”