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20 | Notes on Coming Off the Endangered Species List
Engraving | Nancy DeJoy | East Lansing, MI
About This Installation
This poem addresses the issue of environmental sustainability from the perspectives of the natural and human worlds by expressing the hope that comes from the Michigan Warbler (a bird native to Michigan) being delisted from the list of endangered species and some of the executive orders signed by President Biden during his first day in office, including reinstating marriage equity and gender identity equity policies as well as other policies toward human equity and sustainability. An original line drawing by the poet is featured in the corner of the sidewalk panel.
During the COVID-19 pandemic I have been inspired by the delisting of birds, plants, and animals that have come off of the endangered species list in 2020, and by the connections I see between that and the potential for changes in our lives that lead to environmental health for us and our planet.
Artist Bio
Nancy DeJoy received her BA from Nazareth College of Rochester, her MA, and Ph.D. from Purdue University, and a graduate certificate in Museum Studies from Michigan State University.
I am an installation poet whose work appears in art galleries and museums. I have proposed and managed sidewalk poetry projects in Lansing and East Lansing on the MSU campus. I am inspired to work for the inclusion of poetry in public art projects because of the ways poetry expresses our experience in emotive and artistic ways. My process focuses on responding to the ways that our everyday experiences open pathways for compassion, empathy, and social justice. To that end, I often work with current events that affect my community in ways that give voice to perspectives that need more public attention. I am inspired to do this work by the support that we can offer one another as we deal with the traumas of our lives and the lives of those around us. I have worked with survivors of sexual violence and members of our refugee communities to support diversity and inclusion through the arts.
Lansing artist, Nancy DeJoy was recently featured on WKAR Radio's "All Things Considered". Nancy shares a more in-depth journey into creating her original artwork featured in this year's ArtPath exhibit. Listen to the full interview on WKAR's website.
Find On The Trail - Site 20
On The River Trail
This section of the trail just south of the I-496 Bridge marks a new location for 2021. Look for a park bench near a parking area off of Spring St that follows the curve to the freeway overpass.
This location is made possible in part by generous contributions from:
Jay Pelc
ArtPath is generously supported by our title sponsors The Rathbun Insurance and Auto-Owners Insurance. With additional support by:
