Japanese Beetle Bolo
On display at the 2025 Minnesota State Fair Crop Art Exhibit. Loved the idea of wearing an invasive species immortalized in the very crops it destorys.All made out of Minnesota-grown crops, hand-sculpted beetle, and a handmade corn husk cordage (bonus, i now have a Prepper skill).
Won 2nd place in wearable art category. Trust me when I say that’s a huge honor.
Women of 116
Do you know anything about the women of the 116th Congress? Yeah, that was the same here. Inspired by the NYT photo series I wanted to find out more about these women. Be it I agree with them politically or not I found at least one inspiring part of their story and if you’d like to find out too, check it out here @womenof116 (note, politics have gotten a lot spicier since then so it's more about form than function at this point).This series was displayed in the National Juried Art Exhibit, Raise Your Voice, at Tubac Art Center in September 2020
Give Birds a Pass
The NFL loves birds (Eagles, Ravens, Seahawks...) but our new stadium makes it hard for them to make it home for the winter. The White Throated Sparrows (reincarnated in ice) had the highest fatalities last migration. As the bird death count grows, ice sculptures will continue to be added to the installation until Spring melts them all away. A poignant symbol of the life and death cycle of these migratory birds, set against the backdrop of the U.S. Bank Stadium.“Give Birds a Pass” project creates ice sculpture memorials to the hundreds of birds killed by Vikings glass stadium. The huge glass walls on the Vikings stadium are killing hundreds of migrating birds along the Mississippi flyway. But it’s not too late to retrofit the stadium with bird-safe glass. That’s the message from the “Give Birds A Pass” art installation project.
Ice cast sculptures of the White Throated Sparrow (the species that suffer the most fatalities) sit in formation atop Gold Medal park in Minneapolis, just blocks from the U.S. Bank Stadium. A sign encourages people to contact MIchael Vekich, the chair of Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, to ask him to make a plan to retrofit the stadium.
“In the spirit of welcoming Super Bowl visitors to our city this weekend, let’s give the same respect to our fellow birds and give them a safe path home,” says Amanda Clark, one of the creators of the Give Birds A Pass project. “Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority is aware of the problem but just keeps saying ‘we’re working on it’. We want to see an actual plan and timeline.”
The problem stems from the fact that the U.S. Bank Stadium sits next to the Mississippi River, a major bird migration route stretching from Canada to Mexico and Central and South America. The huge glass walls of the stadium reflect the sky, trees, shrubs and other greenery, causing birds to fly into the glass and die.
Possible retrofit solutions include glass etching, decals and tape, window film, netting, screens, exterior shades and overhangs.
As the bird death count grows, ice sculptures will continue to be added to the installation until Spring melts them all away. A poignant symbol of the life and death cycle of these migratory birds, set against the backdrop of the U.S. Bank Stadium.
#givebirdsapass
A project by Amanda Clark, Kelly Munson and Riley Kane
A lil sampling of client + agency illustrations. I’ve got my personal paintings and drawings in another book for another time. Or just ask me.