Diana Sudyka
Spirituality & Health|January/February 2023
S&H editor Ben Nussbaum spoke with Diana Sudyka about taxidermy, clayboard, and combining words and images. Look for her art throughout this issue.
Diana Sudyka

The natural world and animals are a huge part of your work. You’re in the Chicago area now, in Evanston. But were you surrounded by nature growing up?

 I grew up about 30 miles northwest of Chicago proper. I grew up in the late ’70s and ’80s. Kids were still spending a lot of time outdoors. That was the default.

We also knew a couple of farming families growing up, one somewhat in the area and one in southern Indiana. Because of those two connections I spent a lot of time in rural areas and out in nature.

I’m guessing you get a lot of different bird species in Evanston, seeing as how you’re on Lake Michigan.

We do. And in fact, just over the last few days, we’ve had a lot of sandhill cranes flying over our house. It’s a major flyway. We get a lot of migratory species through the area.

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