Artist: Kenzie Hughes and Josephine Rammel

Project Title: Birds: A Phylum At Risk

Location: McGalliard and N. Buckles

Statement: This particular project is near and dear to us for many reasons. We believe that, as caretakers of the Earth, we need to be poignantly aware of the effects we have on our fellow inhabitants. Birds play a vital part in the makeup of our ecosystem. Without them, our fragile way of life would crumble to the ground rather quickly. Key roles that birds play in their environments are maintaining insect populations, facilitating germination of seeds, and pollinating a variety of plants. These endangered birds, pictured on our box, are vital for their OWN ecosystems. We have the opportunity to shed light on this topic while also enhancing our city; making for a great platform to bring awareness to endangered birds.

Bio: Kenzie Hughes is a native to the area, growing up in Muncie and graduating from Muncie Central High School. Ever since her early days in the art room, she had had a passion for creating thought-provoking pieces. This passion has brought her to the Urban Planning program at Ball State University, where she is will be attending as a senior in the fall. This challenging program has encouraged her to think outside of the box and has also allowed her to tap into her the creativity she had always been enamored with.

Josephine is also a native of the area and has had a similar upbringing as Kenzie. She found her passion for the arts at her high school, Muncie Central, and has carried this love to her other ventures in her life. She attends Huntington University and is in the Occupational Therapy program where she is able to integrate her creativity into her studies as she continues on with her career. She is excited to reignite her passion for the arts by creating alongside her friend.