The Roger Tory Peterson Institute on Curtis St. in Jamestown, NY.

The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History will be holding a special reopening ceremony this weekend at its Curtis Street location in Jamestown.

The institute, which is named after the Jamestown native and world-renowned nature artist, will open on Saturday for the first time since early December, when a fire broke out at the facility. The free outdoor event will feature live music, along with food and beverage offerings. In addition, discount admission will be provided for entry into the facility itself, where visitors can see the new exhibit, “The Art of the Osprey.”

RTPI Chief Executive Officer Arthur Pearson said the event is intended to celebrate the facility’s reopening and also remind the community about what a special jewel it has in its midst, “The building is worth the visit in of itself. It was designed by Robert A.M. Stern, so it’s a gem of a building holding this collection. And it’s our privilege, our joy, our honor to share this with our community. And so we want to utilize these assets to really amplify the opportunity for RTPI not only to share the legacy of Roger but share the essence of the legacy of Roger.”

Pearson also explained that even though the December fire led to extensive water damage to portions of the facility along with its gift shop, the invaluable artwork included in the collections didn’t suffer any loss, “We had an electrical fire and that was probably put out within a minute or so, but then it was the water from the sprinkler system that really continued to go for about a half hour or so. A good portion of the building was impacted by the water, especially the basement. We lost 85% of the contents of the basement and we lost the entire museum store. The good news is the collection we have, this world class collection, absolutely, perfectly safe.”

All told, Pearson said the fire led to about a million dollars worth of damage, which is why it has remained closed for the past six months to accommodate repairs and renovations.

The Saturday reopening celebration will be highlighted by a ribbon cutting ceremony at 1:30 p.m., with several local officials and community leaders planning to attend. The entire celebration will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit RTPI.org.

WRFA’s Jason Sample talks with Arthur Pearson, CEO of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History, to learn more about the facility’s reopening celebration, slated for May 29, 2021, as well as its recently completed new strategic plan and vision.

Arthur Pearson

Arthur Pearson

JAMESTOWN – The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History says it has hired Arthur Pearson to serve as its inaugural Chief Executive Officer.

A Chicago native, Pearson has a richly varied background in the arts, conservation, museum collections and philanthropy. He spent twenty-five years with the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, most recently as its Director of Chicago Program. In this role, he worked hand in glove with a portfolio of more than two hundred nonprofit groups, with an emphasis on building their operational and financial capacities to meet mission goals.

Among Pearson’s recent accomplishments, he orchestrated a $7 million public-private funding effort to accelerate restoration of Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, one of the country’s most ambitious habitat recovery efforts. He sparked the development of a $15 million artist live-work space in Chicago’s Pullman National Monument. And he guided a multi-pronged initiative to help the entire small arts sector of Chicago increase its financial sustainably.

Additionally, he has written about a range of conservation issues and is the author of Force of Nature, an award-winning biography of George Fell, Founder of The Nature Conservancy and the Natural Areas Movement. A master stained glass craftsman, his original, nature-based designs have been featured in exhibitions at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and in City Creatures, published by the Center for Humans and Nature.

“Arthur comes on board at a challenging time,” says Doug Schutte, Board Chair of the Institute. “But his skills, passion and experience make him the right person to be leading us now and into the future.”

Pearson plans to build on the accomplishments of Twan Leenders, who has led the Institute over the past several years. Leenders, as the Institute’s new Senior Director of Science and Conservation, will focus his expertise on expanding the Institute’s conservation research and monitoring efforts. Pearson’s goal is to balance, integrate and unify these efforts with the Institute’s commitment to art and education.

“First and foremost,” Pearson says, “Roger Tory Peterson was an artist. He channeled his passion for nature into his art. And through his art, he lifted a veil, helping millions of people across the globe to see the natural world around them as never before. That was his genius, his legacy. That is our charge today – to nurture the next generation of artists-educators-conservationists.”