THE VOICE | 4 Karen Ashby holds a tarantula that she is in the process of drying. Similar to animal taxidermy, the insides of the TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2021 | tarantula are removed before use of the specimen. ciAiRE A WiLSON PHOTO Women transform taxidermy scene Stories and photos by Claire A. Wilson EDITOR EMILY LYTH Local artists bust through old stereotype, advancing to the forefront of anew movement axidermy is seeing a revival in Vancouver’s contemporary art scene with the emergence of a close-knit community of artists who utilize humanely sourced specimens. According to Rachel Poliquin, cultural historian and writer, taxidermy has shifted from predominantly museum settings to modern artistic and educa- tional spheres. “It's being used a lot in contemporary art, for a lot of really relevant issues,” Poliquin said. “Like the relationships between humans and other animals, habitat loss, you know, just all of this range of environmental and ecological and ethical and moral questions.” Classes are available across Vancouver and online for beginners looking to learn about taxidermy and insect specimens. The artists who run these sessions often source their specimens in ethical ways, contrary to the view that taxidermists acquire them through hunting. These methods often involve using specimens that are already dead, rather than hunting and killing them. Despite this, local taxidermists are still struggling with the stigma that their art is related to cruel practices. Not only have the uses of the craft shifted, but so too has the community. Young women are now at the forefront of the taxidermy movement, Poliquin said. “They're often super attractive young women,” she said. “But I think it's just such an interesting ideological shift from taxidermy being a fussy old-man job.” Karen Ashby, who specializes in insect- based art, is among these women. Her company The Paper Nest sells art that highlights the beauty of wasps and their nests. Ashby also holds educational workshops for children at community centres, during which she deconstructs wasp nests and uses them to teach kids about the insects. Ashby has a background working in pest control which allows her to collect the specimens for her art and education sessions in a humane manner. “Tt's such an interesting ideological shift from taxidermy being a fussy old-man job.” — RACHEL POLIQUIN, CULTURAL HISTORIAN AND WRITER “Summer when the wasps are awake, I'm a pest control company,” Ashby said. “Winter when they're asleep, I'm an artist.” She said her art is not solely her own, but a collaboration between her and the wasps. Other artists in the community are also collecting their art and taxidermy specimens humanely. Heather Bennett, who started her small business Moth and Moonbeam in August 2021, is now using her longtime love of bugs and animals to create unique art pieces. Her work is a mixture of small animal taxidermy, insect art, and other oddities. “T really pride myself in doing things in an ethical way,” Bennett said. “I'm not someone who's going out and hunting specimens or anything like that. I'm not a hunter. I don't support that.” Bennett said that all of the animals and insects she works with are ones that she comes across or obtains post-mortem. “A lot of people think that I'm purposely going out and killing these specimens,” Bennett said. “I’m just think- ing of myself like going out and punch- ing down butterflies from the sky, which would be a very hard thing to do.” Bennett said she sources her butterflies online from places in Southeast Asia and South America. “They're butterfly farms where they farmed the insects — they live out their full lifespan, and then they’re collected after they've naturally passed,” Ashby said. As more artists like Ashby and Bennett transform Vancouver's taxidermy scene, Poliquin said it creates a growing fascina- tion with the art of living things. Bennett said she believes there is lots of room for the community to grow as more people begin to appreciate natural specimens through art. “There's nothing more beautiful and intricate and detailed than a living crea- ture,” Poliquin said. “And so it really is a great way of stimulating new ways of thinking or new ways of talking about the natural world.” 4 Karen Ashby holds one of her silk worms, known by the scientific term "Bombycidae.” Ashby v Yolanda Mason creates art out of bones that she forages from the local December, which will showcase the work of dozens of local artists. yo.