For Immediate Release: Feb. 8, 2022
Public invited to wolf art exhibition closing reception Friday, Feb. 11
Traveling show, “The Spirit of Hunt,” raises awareness about wolves in Michigan
LANSING, Mich.—The public is invited to attend a closing reception for an art exhibition shedding light on the plight of wolves in Michigan, The Spirit of the Hunt, is from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11 at the (SCENE) Metrospace gallery in East Lansing.
A traveling exhibition curated by University of Michigan graduate student Catherine Plank, The Spirit of the Hunt was designed to raise public awareness about the fact that Michigan’s wolves no longer have federal protections under the Endangered Species Act and could be subject to state-sanctioned slaughter as occurred in Wisconsin last February and is ongoing in Northern Rockies states and outside of Yellowstone National Park.
Plank, who is studying Ecosystem Science and Management, collaborated with Project Coyote through the nonprofit’s Artists for Wild Nature program to secure donated artwork that highlights the beauty and value of native carnivores. The traveling exhibition was displayed at Northern Michigan University and at Michigan Technological University in 2021.
“I was inspired to make my sculpture and curate this exhibit in an effort to help wolves and wildlife through creativity, in the face of so much destruction,” said Catherine Plank. “Wolves desperately need our help and this exhibit is one way to inspire and engage visitors into taking action that will make our wild world a better place for everyone to live.”
Currently, proposed legislation in Michigan aims to alter the Wolf Management Advisory Council, which is the governing body that shapes policies around the wolf population in Michigan. Senate Bill 0486 would require council members to be residents of the Upper Peninsula and effectively silence the voices of the majority of Michiganders as wildlife stakeholders. Visitors to the art exhibit learn about this legislation, as well as proposed legislation that adds conservation voices to management decision-making for wolves, and how to take action for wolves.
“Protecting America’s wolves is essential in every state where they exist because the war on wolves is raging day and night across their range,” said Michelle Lute, PhD, national carnivore conservation manager for Project Coyote. “Look no further than neighboring Wisconsin to see what heinous hunting practices can do to Michigan’s wolves if we are not vigilant. We cannot allow hunters with traps, snares and hounds to ruin years of wolf recovery and our precious Michigan ecosystems.”
All the artwork in the show was donated by artists with the goal of inspiring coexistence between humans and the wolves and coyotes in the Great Lakes region. Artwork is available for purchase at the exhibit closing Friday evening and online afterwards; details to come for online purchase. Proceeds from the sale of the exhibition’s pieces will be donated to Project Coyote to support coexistence with native carnivores in the Great Lakes region and the organization’s Protect America’s Wolves campaign.
EXHIBIT DETAILS:
The Spirit of the Hunt
Jan. 21 – Feb. 11, 2022
(SCENE) Metrospace
110 Charles Street
East Lansing, MI 48823
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Special thanks to Marianne Boruch, Russell Brakefield, Jim Bradenburg, Monte Deignan, Ned Gannon, Russell Hart, Ladislav Hanka, Sarah Killingsworth, Joyce Koskenmaki, and Catherine Plank for donating their art as part of this exhibit.
Watch Project Coyote’s videos produced by film production company Comfort Theory about the war on wolves in Wisconsin here.