Client: Baird Creek Preservation Foundation

Overview

Earth Grasper was commissioned by the Baird Creek Preservation Foundation for their Educational Sculpture Program on the Greenway Path. It consists of a gigantic common snapping turtle with a green tree frog and crayfish sitting on its head. The shell depicts the Oneida 13 Moon Calendar. In the Iroquois Creation story, the Earth was created on the back of a turtle. It was there that life began to grow. The turtle clan represents the shifting of the earth and the cycles of the moon. This calendar is a natural anomaly given to the native people of Turtle Island to remind them of their connection to Mother Earth and that we are not only connected as one people, but we are connected to the natural forces of above and below.

Goals

The goal was to design an educational sculpture that teaches the public about the different ecosystems along the trail, which was the Riparian part of this location. My sculpture also educates the public on an aspect of the Oneida 13 Moon calendar and how it connects us to our ceremonies and its literal connection to nature.

Process

Board members of the Baird Creek Preservation Foundation voted on multiple concepts that I presented to them and collaborated with to come up with a final design that accurately portrayed the designated ecosystem.