Maria Sibylla Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian: Artist, Naturalist, scientific illustrator,  botanical artist, entomologist, social 

activist, traveler, mother.

(this post has fallen victim of my desire to share all the wonders of this amazing woman.  I love her work, her chutzpah, her interests and her paintings.  Her work has also influenced many areas of my work, see below)

She is also an example of an strong independent woman as she traveled alone with her daughter Dorothea in pursuit of her work. In 1699, Merian received a grant from the city of Amsterdam allowing Merian to travel to the Dutch colony of Surinam, South America.  This was, as Merian stated, " a long dreamed of journey to Suriname."(Foreword from Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium (Metamorphosis of the Insects of Surinam)

During the two years that she was there, she traveled around the colony studying and sketching the local flora and fauna, and she drew from direct observation of the insects which was not a common practice of the time, this allowed her to document much more than had been shown before.  Also since her sole reason for her trip was scientific study her trip may have been one of the first travelers to "plan a journey rooted solely in science."(Reidell, Heidi (April 2008). "A Study of Metamorphosis". Americas. 60 (2): 28–35. Retrieved 10 August 2015. )

  Because of her careful observations and documentation of the metamorphosis of the butterfly, she is considered by David Attenborough^[4] to be among the most significant contributors to the field of entomology. She was a leading entomologist of her time and she discovered many new facts about insect life through her studies.^[5]

It was also during her trip to Suriname that she spoke up for the mistreatment of the natives and the slaves by the Dutch.

The pursuit of her work in Suriname was an unusual endeavour, especially for a woman. In general, only men received royal or government funding to travel in the colonies to find new species of plants and animals, make collections and to work there, or to settle. Scientific expeditions at this period of time were not common, and Merian's unofficial, self-funded expedition raised many eyebrows. She succeeded, however, in discovering a whole range of previously unknown animals and plants in the interior of Surinam. Merian spent time studying and classifying her findings and described them in great detail. She not only described the insects she found, but also noted their habitat, habits and uses to indigenous people.[7] Her classification of butterflies and moths is still relevant today.

 here is some of the ways her work has influenced me ... BUGS!!!

'metamorphosis ...'
a collaborative project/dress
with the student body that would be presented at the Dana Hall Fashion Show

click here is read more about this project

bugs I commissioned for a toy company a long time ago
they were put on 'pogs'

'lilith in blue ...' with accompanying paintings

detail of my installation 'this comes from within ...'

click here to read more about this amazing installation from 2009, medicine wheel, boston

metamorphosis, phase l

In conjunction with my participation in DanaHall's exhibition, Fashion and Fiberarts, I have been invited to be an artist in residence for the last week of the show.  During this time I will create a collaborative dress' with the Dana Hall students which will be worn in their Spring Fashion Show. Quite an honor and a challenge that I whole heartedly accepted.

Working with teacher/curator Michael Frassinelli, I proposed a project for which each student would contribute. And factoring in the students' schedules and demands, we decided to start with an already made dress ~ a first for me!!!

Today was my first official day in residency and here is where we/I am so far, and the journey to get here ~

This is the dress that 'spoke' to me  at the second hand store

wanted to soften the white so I tea-stained it

I have found it difficult working with an already made dress.  I feel the need to make the dress my own, to get connected to it somehow.  I have dyed it, ripped it and asked some brave students write on it!! 

One student marveled about how I could just 'mess-up' or 'ruin' the dress, an act that would intimidated her.  I however felt liberated, a constant part of my process is messing up and then rescuing the piece :) adding that extra challenge?!?!? 

round 1

When presented with the chance to work with the Dana students in a creative sense, I wanted to propose a project that would allow/help each student think about an aspect of herself that makes her special.  

This is a school of amazing students, many with incredible intelligence and drive. When pondering the high school experience and seeing all the trials and tribulations that any and all high school girls go thru, I wanted to give the students a platform in which they could celebrate a unique part of themselves.

I found it quite difficult to put this thought/concept into words, creating a 'prompt' from which the student would work.  I also struggled with the shape/material on which the students would express their dream, gift or talent.  Working collaboratively has its challenges for an artist like myself, one who solves many issues on the fly and while deep in the process.

the beginning of the day

I came upon the answer when I stumbled upon the book, Chrysalis, Maria Sibylla Merian and the Secrets of Metamorphosis at our local library last weekend.  Maria Sibylla Merian is a woman whose work and life I have admired for many years.  Her exquisite paintings of insects have influenced my work, especially the wall paintings for 'this comes from within'.  So now I had a book about this amazing woman from the 1600's who sailed to Surinam to study insects and metamorphosis ~ I took it as a sign.

I always like to have a yin/yang aspect in my dresses so I have asked students to share fears, obstacles and difficulties because it is both our strengths and weaknesses that make us uniquely who we are.

I decided that each girl would be given a butterfly on which to express herself.  So today I set up camp in the Dana gallery and cut out 400-500 paper butterflies.  Tomorrow morning their advisors will pass them out with the beloved black Sharpie and by tomorrow I will know what I have to work with.  

a faction of the butterflies that I cut out today . . .

Tune in later this week to see/ hear what I get!! 

peace & good night!!!