Soil arthropods in public art

My art interfaces science, nature, conservation, and biodiversity. The art becomes a conduit to share these embedded messages with the public. The importance of engaging the public though art about these critical issues will be explored along with visuals of the art installations.



I have created several public art projects that featured arthropods. One is a large permanent outdoor installation of relief sculptures I created for Openlands nature conservation organization at their 80-acre Lakeshore Preserve north of Chicago, IL. This art celebrates 10 classes of soil organisms including Acari, Collembola, and Tardigrades. The installation opens up an unseen world to Preserve visitors, with highly detailed bas-reliefs depicting numerous vital and life sustaining denizens of the soil.

I will also present a permanent art project created for the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago, IL and their “Mysteries of the Marsh” exhibit that helps the public understand the importance and intrigue of marsh habitat. Among other works, I created cast bronze arthropods, the Cambarus diogene (Girard) (Chimney Crayfish), four species of Odonata, including the Somatochlora hineana (Williamson) (Hine’s Emerald) and the Lethocerus americanus (Leidy) (giant water bug.) Some of the bronze sculptures became handles for doors that opened for the visitor to discover more information about that species and its role in the marsh ecosystem.

This session explores alternate, visual art-based methods of engaging the public to visualize and explore the often unseen world of arthropods.