GLASS FUNGI

Due to Mycology being a newer recognized field of study and we are becoming re aquatinted with their significance to the ecosystem, there is very little documentation compared to the number of species. There are an estimated 5.1 million species of fungi on the earth, and only about 1.5% are actually classified. I am capturing the unique characteristics and biodiversity of fungi in the glass. This is an ongoing long-term project to archive as many species as I can.

​

During my Emerging Artist residency at FOCI Minnesota Center for Glass Arts in 2021 and Chicago Ave Fire Art Center Studio Residency 2023,  I am researching the Harvard’s Glass Flower collection. The glass flowers were made by father and son glass artists Leopold (1822-1895) and Rudolf Blaschka (1857-1939). Over the course of 50 years, they documented realistic glass models of 780 plants to better preserve plant specimens in impeccable detail and skill. Inspired by this body of work and my own fungi documenting since 2014, I began documenting mushroom specimens I have found around Midwest in glass, that have a glass-like quality, interesting forms, and or extra-terrestrial elements. This is an ongoing series.