Missouri Evolution

Commissioned by the Lay Sculpture Park and St Louis University, this group of sculptures explores the natural history of Missouri, presenting charismatic images of animals still widely present in the area. Surrounding these figures are silhouettes of extirpated and/or extinct specie: once abundant but now erased from the landscape. Fleeting shadows, these flat pieces imply the absence of extinct species from our contemporary environment. The work alludes to the plethora of life forms that evolved over millennia, whicht now disappear in the blink of an eye.

A falling bison speaks to wanton destruction in the 19th century; A monumental elk celebrates the successful reintroduction of some extirpated species.

The installation consists of about a dozen fully three dimensional sculptures and a dozen steel silhouettes.