This exhibition was a representative sample of a large collection of birdhouses, which were acquired by the Morris over the past several years—gifts from one of the museum’s most generous supporters, collector Julia J. Norrell. To Norrell, birdhouses reflected the region’s vernacular architecture wrought small. Over the years, her childhood fascination evolved into a love for the larger world of folk art. For those who love houses but can only afford one at a time, collecting birdhouses offers the pleasures of self-indulgence and the opportunity to acquire house after house—whether cottage, log cabin, schoolhouse, or Greek revival mansion—without the burden of having to secure a mortgage.