Ash Ferlito
Residency & Exhibition
Mothing Moons + Web is a project inspired by ‘mothing,’ or attracting moths with light for observation. Using this collection framework as a basis for this installation, I hope to highlight and bring attention to the insect and moth populations at the Sage Street Mill in North Bennington, VT.
Moths are in the insect Order Lepidoptera, derived from the Greek meaning ‘scaly winged.’ Moths are important pollinators and are an essential food source for birds through all phases of their lifecycle. Moths are an indicator species providing clues to the health of an ecosystem. They are often tied to host plants, dependent on specific habitats, and are sensitive to environmental changes. There are over 10,000 known species of moths in North America; over 160,000 worldwide. Global insect populations are in catastrophic decline, and these decreases can seriously impact dependent wildlife.
Ash Ferlito b. 1979, California, received an MFA from the Tyler School of Art and a BA from Yale University. She has three ongoing collaborative projects: a bird club for artists (but open to all), co-founded through the Skowhegan School of Painting + Sculpture with online talks and in-person events, The Marshy Garden, an experimental rewilding garden project transforming a monoculture turf lawn into a diverse and exciting habit for insects and animals, and Moth Ball, an annual midsummer celebration of the creatures of the night– equal parts pageant and citizen science project. She lives in Ithaca, NY.