Insecta on Display

I meticulously placed each specimen--slowly puncturing the white linen and continuing with steady pressure as the pin made its way through a foam backing. Occasionally a dried insect would shift on its metal axis and I'd have to carefully reposition the fragile specimen on its assigned spot. I could have gone the easy route and placed specimens in standardized rows, but what was the fun in that? After numerous hours of arranging insects as artistically as I could muster, the displays were ready to be shared with our visitors.

In addition to displaying a swarm of moths, "Insecta" hosts a case with a mandala
arrangement of beetles and another case filled grasshoppers, dragonflies, and other insects.

The "Insecta" display originally came by way of necessity. The Museum's summer art exhibit had been dismantled at the end of August and each pollinator-themed piece was given back to the artist or turned over to its new owner. All that was left in the back hallway were empty, off-white walls begging to be covered. It wasn't often that new display space opened up in the building, so I was more than happy to be offered that bit of hallway to show off our collections.

The vision of "Insecta" is to demonstrate that insects can and should be considered works of art. 

We had to fit items that were flat, small, or fitting both descriptions into the hallway. Since I had recently dismantled an insect display elsewhere in the building, I imagined that some of our pinned insects would be appropriate subjects. I placed them in aesthetic arrangements (including a beetle mandala) as to give the display a bit more flavor.

To compliment each case of small specimens, I took advantage of the Museum's digital microscope that I always rave about. The microscope allowed me to take dazzling photos which help to highlight unique and beautiful characteristics of our specimens that would have otherwise been difficult to observe. With the displays and photographs now positioned, the Museum's hallway is once again home to an enjoyable display for our visitors.

Images of flesh flies and other insects may help to squash
misconceptions that common names may inspire about their appearance.