Taxidermy Research Paper
The artist and their mounts create a story, but the specimens used also have a story. The main criticism taxidermy faces as an art is the sourcing of specimens. Ethics and morals come into play with this controversial subject, but what most don’t understand is that not all animals or insects used are killed for the sole purpose of art. Most rogue taxidermists source animals who have died of natural causes or were roadkill. Others focus on using the abundant numbers of invasive or domestic species (Langston, audubon.org). The use of these species helps bring appreciation to those species, despite their mundane qualities. Species that are normally tagged as nuisances can be used for taxidermy diverting the killing or use of vital species. Also,
it is important to note how far taxidermy has progressed in this area. Mariel Carr makes a good point saying, “Today’s rogue taxidermists are on the opposite end of the collecting spectrum from natural history museum dioramas. No one I meet is wrestling leopards. No one is going to Africa to hunt gorillas. Actually no one is hunting at all. For them it’s more about becoming familiar with the wildlife that surrounds us every day.” It is true that most taxidermist do not go out of their way to kill to create, especially in regard to exotic species which are heavily regulated. European Starlings are one of the most common invasive species of birds. The Department of Agriculture actually issues a mass culling of these birds to combat the species’ population across the nation (Langston, audubon.org). The many dead birds, as a result of the mass culling, can be utilized rather than discarded. Taxidermists transform those lost lives into something greater than the nuisance bird they once were deemed. The ability to take something unusable and make it into something more elevated, fosters an appreciation towards those species otherwise masked by their mundane or unwanted status. The craft of taxidermy is so complex in terms of artistic meaning and skill making it a division of art culture so refined that it verges between art and science.
it is important to note how far taxidermy has progressed in this area. Mariel Carr makes a good point saying, “Today’s rogue taxidermists are on the opposite end of the collecting spectrum from natural history museum dioramas. No one I meet is wrestling leopards. No one is going to Africa to hunt gorillas. Actually no one is hunting at all. For them it’s more about becoming familiar with the wildlife that surrounds us every day.” It is true that most taxidermist do not go out of their way to kill to create, especially in regard to exotic species which are heavily regulated. European Starlings are one of the most common invasive species of birds. The Department of Agriculture actually issues a mass culling of these birds to combat the species’ population across the nation (Langston, audubon.org). The many dead birds, as a result of the mass culling, can be utilized rather than discarded. Taxidermists transform those lost lives into something greater than the nuisance bird they once were deemed. The ability to take something unusable and make it into something more elevated, fosters an appreciation towards those species otherwise masked by their mundane or unwanted status. The craft of taxidermy is so complex in terms of artistic meaning and skill making it a division of art culture so refined that it verges between art and science.