Michael J. Sweere, Brooklyn Wildlife, 2021, repurposed tin, nails and plywood, PS 127 Addition, Brooklyn

Brooklyn Wildlife is a site-specific artwork created by artist Michael J. Sweere for the lobby of the new PS 127 Brooklyn addition. It is comprised of 10 individual panels each featuring a portrait of a native animal species that can be found within the borough of Brooklyn, NY. Some of the species are commonly seen, while others are much more elusive. The animals depicted are the American Kestrel, Darner Dragonfly, Eastern Chipmunk, Great Blue Heron, Harbor Seal, Little Brown Bat, Monarch Butterfly, Painted Bunting, Painted Turtle and a Red Fox. Each is shown in an environment typical of where it would be found. Sweere states the artwork is intended “to honor the lesser-seen ‘neighbors’ of Brooklyn” and to be “educational, entertaining and enjoyed by all.”  

The artwork is made of collaged recycled tin and nails. The artist used found tin objects (such as recycled canisters that once held candy, chocolates, tea etc.), cut them into small pieces, arranged them to form each composition and then attached them with nails to plywood panels. The resulting surface resembles a metallic quilt "stitched" together with a hammer and small wire nail. The tin covers the entire surface of the plywood and wraps around the panel sides to create a "finished" edge. The pre-printed colors, graphics, and text from the original tin objects can still be seen in the final artwork, transforming a patchwork of recycled items into vivid imagery.