ABOUT ME

Meet the Artist: Pat Curry

As a lifelong Chicagoan, Pat played a pivotal role at some of the most storied TV newsrooms covering just about every major story that startled the city or nation. Beginning as a phone receptionist at the local NBC station, Pat rose up in the ranks to run some of the nation’s premier newsrooms and covering the biggest stories.

“The World Trade Centers on 911 happened on my watch. Here you are in real time scrambling to understand what just happened, like anyone else. Problem is there’s no context, you’re as afraid and human as the next person watching. But that’s the job. Get the information, report responsibly and keep on asking questions.”

“After years of reporting, writing and producing I was ready for a new learning experience. I’ve always marveled at the natural world. That same zeal of life led to some spontaneous backpack excursions to exotic locales; Camping in Greenland, exploring the rainforest in Suriname and exploring Indonesia’s wildly diverse cultures.

Nowadays Pat’s world is exploring Chicago’s lakefront and all the rich diversity he once took for granted.
After a friend introduced him to the city’s bird sanctuary, Pat was hooked.
“I made up my mind If walk and spend time there every single day for a year. No camera, no notes. Just my eyes and ears. Be open to whatever. It revealed a totally new world to me, and one right out my front door. It wasn’t just the rich diversity, it was the character. Birds have personality. Birds have memory. And birds will interact. Just let birds be birds.”

That philosophy has led Past to approach hood photography in a unique way.
“I go after moments. Birds have them just like we do. I’m lucky enough to have my toe in their world and I respect them. It works both ways, and my art really speaks to our fragile relationship we have with nature. I wouldn’t be doing anything else.”

Pat resides in the Edgewater neighborhood on the city’s north side along the lake where he also tends to garden in the park outside his building.

ABOUT ME

The Shift to Nature & Wildlife

After years of reporting, writing, and producing, Pat sought a new perspective. A deep curiosity for the natural world took him on spontaneous excursions—camping in Greenland, exploring Suriname’s rainforests, and experiencing Indonesia’s rich cultures.

Returning home, Pat turned his lens toward Chicago's lakefront and the Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary.

``I decided to walk there every single day for a year. No camera, no notes—just eyes and ears. It revealed a whole new world right outside my front door. Birds have personality, memory, and interaction. My goal is to capture those rare, honest moments and reflect our fragile relationship with nature.

SPECIAL FEATURE

The Crows of Chicago

What’s the deal with crows?
A accidental meeting happened after I had innocently tossed some walnuts toward a group of them. Little did I know then it was a “murder” of crows.

I hadn’t seen them before nor did I expect to ever again. Until one day wandering from the bird sanctuary dozens took positions around me from liked like tactical positions.
Getting the worst I threw whatever peanuts over my shoulder and ran for the hills.
They never physically attacked me, they wanted that food. It would be a couple months before I was the one seeking the meetings. For two winters I had 50 appearing from who-knows-where almost on a daily basis. Today it is a family of six who I’ve come to know and eve been following each other for nearly five years. They’re as mysterious to me as every, but I’m more than honored that somehow I get the visit. Sometimes it’s one, sometimes the whole family. We communicate on a level I never thought possible. These are friends for life and I cherish them always.