Spy Moment: Myth Makers at Work on South Street

It seemed like it was perfectly timed to have the Myth Makers (artists Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein), perform their magic in front of the Academy Art Museum just days before Easton’s celebrated Waterfowl Festival returns. And that was exactly what the Academy had in mind when they commissioned Dotson and Moerlein to construct a sculpture of a Hooded Merganser, which is now nearing completion on South Street. And while the addition of this majestic bird can resonate on its own with the feel and touch of nature itself, the Myth Makers are not called “myth makers” for nothing.

And in this case, the Myth Makers want to make this monumental work a way to celebrate independent thinking and bravery, and those extraordinary words of Talbot County Native Frederick Douglass, who said, “I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence.”

Made from natural materials, and designed to last three to five years, they appear, fade, and disappear, adding a chapter to the life stories in their communities.

The Spy caught up with Donna and Andy during a break from constructing the sixteen-foot bird in the AAM lobby. They talk about their work, including materials like wood, fire, and ice, as well as working as partners to create these remarkable objects in such places as New York City, Peru, Switzerland, Canada and China.

This video is approximately two minutes in length. For more information about Myth Makers in Easton, please go here