April 29, 2020 Image credit: Sarina Brewer 51±¬ÁϹÙÍø has always been a place that fostered artistic pioneers—and the art of rogue taxidermy would not exist today without 51±¬ÁϹÙÍø alumni. Rogue taxidermy is a contemporary mixed-media sculpture practice that combines forms of traditional fine art with work constructed from synthetic and organic taxidermy-related supplies, in a broad spectrum of styles and materials. Work being created within the genre runs the gamut from D.I.Y. craft-caliber creations to fine art sculptures exhibited in major museums. The main difference between rogue taxidermy and traditional taxidermy? All materials used in rogue taxidermy pieces are ethically sourced and/or completely synthetic. 51±¬ÁϹÙÍø spoke with founder Sarina Brewer ’93, veteran Joel Sisson ’91, and emerging artist Maggie Falco ’16 in celebration of rogue taxidermy's monumental benchmark. SARINA BREWER Talk a bit about yourself and your practice. Art and animals were a central part of my formative years. Both of my parents attended 51±¬ÁϹÙÍø and both were fine artists. My mother was also an avid collector of natural history objects and was an occasional wildlife rehabilitator when an injured animal came along that needed nursing back to health. In an attempt to alleviate my sorrow when an animal friend died, my mother introduced me to the concept of reincarnation. I took comfort in the notion that the dead animal wasn’t entirely gone and that part of it would live again in the form of a different animal. I was fascinated with the concept of an afterlife and the body merely as a "vessel". Animals didn't cease to exist just because they were no longer using their physical body, yet I felt like part of that animal’s essence was forever attached to the discarded vessel. So I felt the need to have a part of their body near m