By positioning common Maine bird species in visually and conceptually vulnerable situations, I invite viewers into spaces of reflection where sadness, anger, and numbed familiarity intersect. Too often, the lives of non-human bodies (animals, plants, minerals) are overlooked, and I seek to elevate them to a level of mournability and recognition typically afforded only to humans. Through memorials shaped by the realities of the Anthropocene and through the lens of bird-strike victims, I aim to create shared sites for collective ecological grieving. Rooted in the Maine community, my practice embodies slow, attentive modes of making that honor the living networks that surround us, believing these quiet gestures to be powerful acts of empathy. The installation highlights the spiritual dimensions of ecological grief and care, inviting viewers to bear witness and confront both the violence, tenderness, and loss that are present in our interspecies connection. In doing so, it creates a space where viewers can reimagine an empathetic relationship with non-humans and the natural world.
“Shared Pathways” // 60 hand-sculpted birds made from White Stoneware clay, acrylic paint, monofilament, eye hooks, epoxy, and MDF panel // Each bird is approximately 5 in x 4 in // Installation scale: 6 ft L x 11 ft H x 3 ft W // 2025
Sound was created by using individual species songs and calls sourced from Cornell Lab of Ornithology
“Untitled” // 22 Hand-sculpted birds made from stoneware clay, acrylic paint, monofilament, eye hooks, epoxy // Each bird is approximately 5 in x 4 in // Installation scale 17 ft L x 9 ft H x 13 ft W // 2025
(detail: outside the gallery looking in)