2025

HICKORY WOOD, IRON PIPES, IRON FLANGES, TOBACCO WOOD STAIN, LASER ENGRAVER, RHINO 8

DIGITALLY DESIGNED + HAND-ASSEMBLED

EVERY YEAR, THE SLEEPING BEAR SAND DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE SHIFTS FOUR FEET AWAY FROM THE LAKESHORE OF LAKE MICHIGAN. EVERY YEAR, THE REGION AROUND SLEEPING BEAR SAND DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE SEES AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE INCREASE OF 4°F. EVERY YEAR, ENDANGERED AND FRAGILE PLANTS AND WILDLIFE ARE FURTHER THREATENED BY THE RAPIDLY WORSENING DAMAGE HUMANS ARE CAUSING TO THE SLEEPING BEAR SAND DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE. THE EARTH HAS GIVEN HUMANS EVERYTHING; IT IS TIME WE GIVE SOMETHING IN RETURN.

THROUGH NEWS CHANNELS, ARTICLES, AND SOCIAL MEDIA, FACTS AND STATISTICS ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING AND THE ENVIRONMENT ARE CONSTANTLY SHARED WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC; HOWEVER, DUE TO THE CONSTANT, INCESSANT CONSUMPTION OF NEGATIVE NEWS, THEY ARE OFTEN IGNORED. WE RARELY SEE ANYTHING POSITIVE ON THE NEWS ANYMORE, RESULTING IN DEATH, DISEASE, AND LOSS, TURNING INTO NUMBERS AND WORDS. AS A WHOLE, HUMANS ARE EXPERIENCING A CRITICAL LOSS IN EMPATHY. TO COMBAT THIS, I DECIDED TO TAKE A MORE SCULPTURAL, VISUAL APPROACH TO RAISING AWARENESS OF THE CATASTROPHIC IMPACT HUMANS ARE HAVING ON FRAGILE ECOSYSTEMS, SUCH AS THE SLEEPING BEAR SAND DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE. BY CONSTRUCTING TWO SEPARATE PIECES THAT FEATURE 3D TOPOGRAPHICAL MAPS OF THE SAND DUNES, ONE FROM 1983 AND ONE FROM 2023, VIEWERS CAN SEE FOR THEMSELVES AND UNDERSTAND THE CHANGES OCCURRING IN THE DUNES, WHICH ARE BEING RAPIDLY SPED UP DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES LIKE CLIMATE CHANGE. MOST PEOPLE WHO ARE AWARE OF THE DAMAGE HUMANS HAVE CAUSED UNDERSTAND IT FIRSTHAND, BUT THAT’S NOT ALWAYS AN OPTION. THE GOAL OF MY ART IS TO SHARE MY FASCINATION WITH THE ENVIRONMENT WITH PEOPLE WHO DON’T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE IT. ULTIMATELY, CULTIVATING A LARGER GROUP WILLING TO TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT WHAT WE HAVE LEFT OF THE WORLD.