Artifact of the Month: July 2026

European Starling Pestilence

Since the 1970s, Terry Pyles has played a significant role in the Ketchikan art scene. From Creek Street to the Plaza Mall and a few places in between, you can find his artwork all over town. Pyles is a multi-talented individual who exemplifies what it means to be a "renaissance" artist. Painting, sculpture, ceramics, stained glass, lamp-work glass, graphic design, printing, and even culinary arts are just a few of the mediums in which he works. Over the years, Pyles earned an international reputation for his exquisitely detailed, almost photographic paintings of Southeast Alaska's natural environment.

Pyles created a series in the early 2000s that blended Old Master paintings with contemporary Alaskan themes. Inspired Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, European Starling Pestilence, was created for the 2008 Annual Migratory Bird Art Show held in Ketchikan. It represents Pyles' opinion of the invasive bird species that compete with native Alaskan birds for habitat and food sources due to their sheer numbers and aggressive behavior. As Pyles describes, "The Mona Lisa motif represents the starling's European origin. The volcano and tornado represent the apocalyptic nature that the introduction of the starling has had on native cavity nesting bird species. The universally recognized AK-47 represents the ubiquity of starlings and the terroristic and efficient nature of this ruthless bird of Alfred Hitchcock stereotype."

Ketchikan Museums purchased European Starling Pestilence in 2008 through the generous support of the Rasmuson Foundation and Museums Alaska's Art Acquisition Fund grant program. European Starling Pestilence and New Eddystone Rock (2004) will be on display at the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center in the 2026 Summer Art Show featuring Terry Pyles. The exhibit will run from June to September 2026.


Object ID #: KM 2008.2.14.1