Object Details
Artist
Laurel Roth Hope, born Concord, CA 1973
Exhibition Label
Hope uses humor to address the serious subject of species extinction in her Biodiversity Reclamation Suits. These suits allow common rock pigeons to masquerade as extinct North American birds -- if not actually to "reclaim" biodiversity, then at least to give the appearance of it. One can't help but smile, imagining these birds clad in their bright, borrowed feathers roaming our city streets, even as we note that the damage we do to our environment cannot always be undone.
Connections: Contemporary Craft at the Renwick Gallery, 2019
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Joyce Schwartz in honor of Judith S. Weisman, museum purchase, and museum purchase from friends of the Renwick Gallery
Copyright
© 2009, Laurel Roth Hope
Date
2009
Object number
2013.76.2A-B
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Sculpture
Crafts
Medium
suit: cotton, silk, bamboo, wool, and acrylic blended yarn mannequin: basswood, acrylic paint, gouache, glass, pewter, and walnut
Dimensions
9 x 8 x 13 in. (22.9 x 20.3 x 33 cm)
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Renwick Gallery
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Animal\bird\parrot
Link to Original Record
Record ID
saam_2013.76.2A-B