Wender·Vista
Vermont Institute of Natural Science VINS raptor enclosure
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileVermont
in Quechee, just off Route 4

Vermont Institute of Natural Science VINS raptor enclosure

— the still gaze of a bird that won't fly again.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A 47-acre nature center on the rim of the Quechee Gorge, set up to house raptors that can't be released back to the wild. Bald eagles, snowy owls, peregrines, a one-winged red-tailed hawk. The enclosures are open-roofed mews, the trails quiet. Schoolchildren whisper. The birds watch back, unblinking, from the perches that have become their world.

from the studio
Vermont Institute of Natural Science VINS raptor enclosure
— bring it home

Vermont Institute of Natural Science VINS raptor enclosure, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Vermont Institute of Natural Science VINS raptor enclosure

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The Vermont Institute of Natural Science sits on a 47-acre campus in Quechee, off Route 4, a short walk from the rim of the Quechee Gorge. Founded in 1972 in Woodstock, the center moved to its current Quechee site in 2004 and operates as a non-profit nature center and raptor rehabilitation hospital. The grounds hold roughly 17 outdoor mews, an elevated Forest Canopy Walk, and several miles of low-grade interpretive trails along the Ottauquechee River watershed.

— informed by Wikipedia, VINS
— the visit

VINS is open every season, with reduced winter hours; admission in 2026 runs about $20 for adults and $17 for children. Live raptor programs happen daily on the lawn outside the main building, typically at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The Forest Canopy Walk, an elevated boardwalk reaching 65 feet above the forest floor, closes during ice. Strollers and wheelchairs work on most of the lower loop. Photography is welcome through the mesh; flash is not.

— informed by VINS Visit
— the silence

Most visitors arrive expecting a zoo and find something quieter. The resident birds, many missing an eye, a wing, or the instinct to hunt, cannot speak for themselves, so the staff speaks for them in low voices on the lawn. Between programs the mews fall back to wind, the rasp of a flight feather, the soft click of a beak. Children who came in loud usually leave whispering. The gorge below the trail does the rest of the work.

— informed by VINS About
— where
United States · Quechee, Windsor County, Vermont
— elevation
183 m · 600 ft
— position
43.6433° N · 72.4140° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
1 km S
Quechee Gorge
river gorge
11 km W
Woodstock
village
35 km W
Killington
mountain resort
N
Vermont Institute of Natural Science VINS raptor enclosure
Quechee Gorge
Woodstock
Killington
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Vermont Institute of Natural Science VINS raptor enclosure — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

The Vermont Institute of Natural Science, a non-profit nature center and raptor rehabilitation hospital in Quechee, Vermont. Founded in 1972, it cares for non-releasable birds of prey and runs daily live-bird programs.

Each resident raptor has an injury or imprint that prevents survival in the wild: a missing wing, partial blindness, or being human-raised. They live out their lives in spacious outdoor mews under federal permit.

Late spring through early fall, when the Forest Canopy Walk is open and all outdoor exhibits run. Live programs happen daily around 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on the front lawn.

Most visitors spend two to three hours: an hour with the raptor enclosures, a half-hour at a live program, and a slow loop around the Forest Canopy Walk and the interpretive trails.

Yes. The VINS campus sits a quarter-mile from the rim of Quechee Gorge, the deepest gorge in Vermont. Many visitors pair the two on the same morning.

Bald and golden eagles, snowy and barred owls, peregrine falcons, red-tailed hawks, ravens, and turkey vultures. The exact roster shifts as birds arrive for care or pass on. Roughly two dozen species are typically on site.

— about the piece in your home

It travels well to anyone who has walked the VINS mews or worked in wildlife rehab. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries the still gaze of the birds without overstating it.

The deep mews-blue and amber of the Voynich treatment fits Mountain-modern, Cabin-traditional, and Naturalist-eclectic rooms. It reads especially well against unpainted pine, slate hearths, and warm whites.

A single Large covers most sofas comfortably. Above a long Vermont farmhouse table or a wider sectional, a 4-tile Mural carries more weight. A 9-tile Mural belongs over a stairwell.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and tolerate humidity well, which makes them right for backsplashes, powder rooms, and the wall behind a clawfoot tub.

A soft microfibre cloth and plain water. No abrasives, no ammonia-based sprays. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it, so light dusting is all most owners ever need.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is curated and finished in our Knoxville studio. We do not license outside images. The Voynich visual language is our own.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.