2021

Of all birds on Earth, just 30% are wild and 70% are farmed poultry. As the human population approaches 8 billion, chicken has become the world’s most consumed meat – 50 billion chickens yearly. Our natural world is critically out of balance. And over the next century, an estimated 1,200 wild bird species face extinction.

In addition to depleting water resources and degrading climate, animal production is notorious for cruel and inhumane treatment. Farmed birds are excluded from all U.S. federal animal protection laws. The United States is the world’s top producer of chicken meat.

Healthy wild bird populations are essential to human life. Birds are natural pest control devouring insects that can destroy crops or spread diseases; scavengers dispose carcasses. Birds disperse plant seeds integral to resilient ecosystems. Birds’ sensitivity to habitat change are vital indicators of environmental dangers. And by the sheer numbers of avid birdwatchers around the world – 45 million in U.S. alone contributing $80 billion to the U.S. economy – birds are fascinating and beautiful creatures that bring joy to their lives.

Conservation is an important component of my art practice. All visible materials on this project were found or upcycled, including an old kitchen towel fortuitously containing a cartoon chicken.

47.5”h x 54”w

Machine-pieced, hand-tied; found furnishings fabric, recycled cotton, found beads, recycled sequins, found embroidery floss, thread, batting

Second image is detail