The Beetle’s Gallery, 2024

stained and laser-cut plywood with yarn and caulk

The Beetle's Gallery chronicles a sacred relationship between the forest and the insects. The life cycle of a newborn bark boring beetle can be traced through the abstract markings left as they feed and facilitate the decomposition of dying trees.

Since the late 19th c. the rise of lumber industries in the United States and deforestation has reduced the amount of trees that are naturally dying and have greatly impacted populations of insects that naturally consume them, who in turn often resort to living trees for their survival.

Piece created for It’s Bugs’ Life, an invitational exhibition curated by Mary-Ellen Haines exhibited at the Carnegie Center for the Arts - 107 North Main Street, Three Rivers, MI 49093

*Gallery photos taken by Camille Stevens (Captured By Camille)