Calder Sell was an undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he will graduated with degrees in Environmental Science and Fine Art. He began working in the GLUE Lab in 2018 when he completed an independent project under the supervision of Dr. Tyler Lark. His research focused on examining impacts of cropland expansion on threatened and endangered species across the United States.

Calder’s artistic practice is centered in photography but also enters into the realm of collage, sculpture, and installation. His work aims to construct identifiable narratives around systemic issues relating to the environment. He is especially interested in problems in the energy, fashion, and food industries.

His project entitled, Views from a Butterfly, consists of images that are photographed through the lens of the threatened and endangered species he studies. The photographs take place across the Midwestern landscape and within the boundaries of species such as the Whooping Crane and the Topeka Shiner. The project asks the viewer to enter into an alternative perspective to consider themes of space, mortality, and extinction.

Outside of the Center of Sustainability and Global Change, Calder worked as a student assistant at Phil Townsend’s Forestry Lab and at the front desk of Mills Music Library.

Where are they Now?

Library Director at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School.