Michele Brody: Barrett Davis

I did some research on the different deities for the pageants and found some generalities amongst the myths:

Sun Deity: Many of them had some sort of representation with either a circle, wheel, or chariot.

Wind Deity: Many of them were represented riding a horse.

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Brandon Ballengée

As according to his site, "[his] work attempts to blur the already ambiguous boundaries between environmental art and ecological research. [...] As an artist involved in wildlife preservation, global disappearances of biodiversity is both a concern and a focus." I found it fascinating looking at some of his works. They do seem as though they are documentation of scientific phenomena; however, the visual representation is rich enough to be hosted in an art museum.

There is some pretty extensive documentation on the project 'The Ever Changing Tide.' This project dealt with the collection and documentation of fish species that have been decimated by over-fishing and introduction of non-native species in habitats. Collected species were gathered from a New York fish market, photographed, and preserved for showcase in a permanent musuem collection.

Another fascinating work of his entitled "Deformities in North American Amphibians" includes documentation of amphibians with missing or deformed limbs. He attempts to chronicle why the deformities may exist while presenting the result of what may be a pollution of the water or parasites.



References:
http://www.greenmuseum.org/content/artist_index/artist_id-19.html
http://www.disk-o.com/malamp/bio-diversity.html
http://www.disk-o.com/fishsmart/

-Barrett Davis