Yellow-Bellied Marmot I

36.63 x 24.75 inches

Collage with Linoleum Block Elements on Hanji

2023

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This collage celebrates the Yellow-Bellied Marmot. Yellow-bellied marmots range from southwestern Canada throughout the western United States including the Rockies, Sierra Nevada and the Black Rock Desert. These creatures spend most of their time sunning with their head in an alert position. They spend about 80% of their lives in burrows due to winter hibernation, which lasts from early September to May.

This print was inspired by a piece I created for the Burning Man festival in 2023. I was commissioned by the Burning Man organization to create art for the Man Pavillion, which is the center of the entire gathering. The theme of 2023 was ANIMALIA. For this project, I conducted research about the various species in the Black Rock Desert region that were facing extinction or habitat loss. 

The Yellow-Bellied Marmot is a species that is connected to Numu bands who have relations to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. Tribal members are members of the Northern Paiute Kidütökadö band (Gidu Ticutta - 'Yellow-bellied marmot-Eaters') Fort Bidwell Indian Community. 

My goal in creating this art was to raise awareness about desert creatures. I have been attending Burning Man for nine years, and I recognize that many Burners need to build a stronger relationship with the desert ecosystem so that they may better contribute to its health. Through art we can make visible and uplift that which is obscured.