Pennsylvania –
State List Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern

These are commemorative plates for the species of Pennsylvania that are either endangered, venerable or of concern as determined by the US Fish & Wildlife agency and the Natural Heritage Program of Pennsylvania*. As the exhibition is in Pittsburg, I am focused on only local species, species in ‘my back yard’. This display, all of these plates hung together with little space in between, covering the entire wall in the gallery, this is for impact. This wall display holds commemorative plates from 358 species.

We do need to have some hope during a time of uncertainty; on the back of each plate there is a brief easy about the species in general, as well as information about what we can do to support their repopulation.

These plates are made from porcelain, hand built on a mold. Each drawing is lightly cut into the surface and filled with blue black slip (colored clay) and the extra rinsed away. After a first firing, a clear glaze is applied and the plater is re-fired. Then the platinum luster is painted on, finally the decal with the information is applied to the back of the pate and fired again. Please understand, luster is a very soft material and will scratch easily. The plates, if used, are recommended for dry or soft foods only, and briefly as some spicy or acid based foods will wear off the luster.