05/27/2026
‘Keystone Hatch’ is a group of mayflies perched on an emergent stick, poised as if drying wings since emerging as adults. Each insect- a sculpture of its own- is formed from scrap steel and rebar, accented with brass, with perforated steel wings and slender round-stock legs to preserve the delicacy and precision of the species.
Mayflies are fleeting- their adult life lasts only hours- but their ecological importance is immense. In Pennsylvania streams, larvae filter nutrients from the substrate, supporting fish, amphibians, and aquatic invertebrates. As adults, they provide essential food for birds and other forest predators, transferring energy from water into the surrounding woodland ecosystem. Their presence signals clean, functioning systems; their absence indicates imbalance. ‘Keystone Hatch’ celebrates that quiet significance, giving permanence to a species whose adult lives are almost entirely ephemeral.
The scale allows viewers to encounter the insects up close, noticing the small, precise gestures that define the mayflies’ distinctive posture. The emergent branch provides vertical presence, echoing reeds and streamside branches in the surrounding landscape. Many hours of welded steel wire texture were used to emulate the rough bark of a partially submerged tree emerging from the water.
The sculpture’s base references the benthic layer of a stream ecosystem- the rich zone of decay and nutrient cycling beneath the water’s surface where mayfly larvae begin life. Concentric rings of weathered culvert pipe suggest accumulated organic matter and decomposition, recalling submerged leaves and plant debris breaking down along a creek bottom. Beneath and surrounding them, expanded metal creates the illusion of rippling water, while scattered steel slugs resemble rounded stream pebbles embedded in sediment.
Viewers can observe the insects from 360°, as though pausing to watch the quiet activity that occurs along a Pennsylvania stream, and reflect on the interconnectedness of forests and waterways.
‘Keystone Hatch’ embodies my fascination with ecological systems, the life of Pennsylvania forests and streams, and the ways that even the smallest organisms shape the health of their environment. By translating these ephemeral insects into permanent, larger-than-life forms, the sculpture creates space for curiosity, reflection, and appreciation in a public setting.
