Restoring Balance to Freshwater

Each invasive carp I use contributes to protecting up to 150 native fish and endangered freshwater species. These works also honor the Mississippi River, a $500 billion economy that supports more than 1.5 million livelihoods. Through my practice, carp skins become a medium where restoration and beauty intersect.

Carp were first brought from Europe and Asia. The common carp has been present in the U.S. for more than a century, but it is the more recent family of invasive carp — bighead, black, grass, and silver — that now threatens freshwater systems on a massive scale. Introduced in the 1970s to control algae and weeds in aquaculture ponds, they escaped into the Mississippi River and multiplied.

Today, invasive carp dominate stretches of the river, competing with native fish for food and space, lowering water quality, endangering fragile organisms like freshwater mussels, and disrupting entire ecosystems. Silver carp in particular leap from the water with such force that they can injure boaters and damage vessels.

Each fish lays hundreds of thousands of eggs, allowing populations to spread with alarming speed. Scientists warn of irreversible damage should they reach the Great Lakes, where a $7 billion fishing industry — along with treasured sport fishing and resort economies — hangs in the balance.

Against this backdrop, I use carp leather as a fine art medium. Its unexpected textures, created by the scaled surface, absorb paint in layered and surprising ways. In transforming these invasive skins into lasting works of art, my practice reveals their beauty while actively reducing their harm, helping restore balance to freshwater ecosystems.