endangered species

recently, a friend reminded me of 
a temporary art work I made for 
“Clean Out Your Files Week”

materials:
gently used file folders
print shop off-cuts.
items destined for the dumpster

each folder acquired a new label,
a long strand of paper with either —
a bird, crustacea, fish, insect, spider,
mammal, mussel, snail, plant, reptile
.or amphibian—printed on it

endangered species names from 
The National Geographic Society
Book, ‘The Company We Keep’
by Douglas H. Chadwick &Joel Sartore, 1995

Commissioned by The Department of 
Environmental Services and Arlington
Cultural Affairs, Arlington County, VA.
The 1998 installation was in the lobby
of the Bozman Government Center.

And, when finished, all materials were 
either reused or recycled. 

Thanks to Angela Adams for inviting me
to be part of Clean Out Your Files Week.

[photos by Jason Horowitz]