UPDATE: Taxidermist Allis Markham will no longer visit IU this week because of extenuating circumstances, according Joe Hiland, Associate Director of the Arts and Humanities Council.
Markham's talk Tuesday in the Fine Arts building has been canceled. "Stuffed" will still screen at the IU Cinema but without Markham and her Q&A.
Allis Markham, owner of Prey Taxidermy in Los Angeles, will speak 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in Room 015 in the Fine Arts Building. She will talk about how she entered the world of taxidermy and her life as a taxidermist.
Taxidermy is the process of preserving dead animals to make them look realistic. Associate Director of the Arts and Humanities Council Joe Hiland said Allis Markham is one of United States’ renowned taxidermists. Markham works with museums such as the Natural History Museum of Santa Barbara and the Getty.
“She has kind of established herself as one of the premier taxidermists in the country especially on the West Coast,” Hiland said.
Markham is one of the Indiana Remixed artists. Indiana Remixed is a celebration of contemporary art and ideas from Indiana. Hiland said Markham grew up in Madison, Indiana, before moving to Los Angeles where she began pursuing a career as a taxidermist.
“She was drawn to the art form because of her early experiences of growing up in Indiana and experiencing the natural landscapes of the space,” Hiland said.
Some of her artwork features exotic birds such as peacocks, toucans and hummingbirds. Her artworks also feature animals that live around the Midwest such as raccoons and owls.
The Arts and Humanities Council is also working with the IU Cinema on films that relate to the Indiana Remixed festival. Brittany Friesner, associate director of the IU Cinema, suggested Allis Markham to be one of Indiana Remixed’s artists when she watched the documentary, "Stuffed."
“We have never brought a taxidermist to campus as part of any of our festivals,” Hiland said. “We really think it’s a unique experience for students who're interested in a wide range of nature.”
On Monday, the IU Cinema will screen the documentary “Stuffed” where Allis Markham is one of the featured taxidermists. Hiland said Markham will attend the screening and there'll be a Q&A after the screening.
There’s certainly an art form to taxidermy but there’s also an important educational component to it, Hiland said. He said the documentary talks about how taxidermists in the United States use their art to show awareness of the natural world regarding environmental issues, such as protection of endangered species.
Director of Grunwald Gallery of Art Betsy Stirratt said Friesner emailed her about having Markham talk. Stirrat said she’d be happy to have it at the Fine Arts building because the fine arts department has interest in the taxidermy field.
“I think it’s interesting because taxidermy is part of what some contemporary artists are using right now,” Stirrat said.
Tickets to the screening will cost four dollars, according to the IU website, but the artist talk is free and open to everyone.
