A Lofty Student Society

One of RISD’s newest student orgs is quickly taking flight. Last spring members of the RISD Pigeon Club began construction on a delightful dovecot that’s perched on a grassy landing just outside The Met. Now filled with plump rock doves, the shingled aviary  is visited regularly by the bird enthusiasts who are taking care of their feathery friends. 

The fledgling group isn’t without help. Professor Mike Fink, who has taught at RISD for well over 50 years, serves as an advisor to the club. Crediting Mateo Ward 13 ID as one of the club’s first founders, he says the small group of students is studying ornithology.

Fink is a fitting mentor as he’s teaching Birds in Books, a spring course that explores roles of the winged animals in literature. “I’m just charmed by the thought of [the dovecote],” he says. 

See more on Fink’s lifelong love of birds in his article on page 53 of the new issue of RISD XYZ.