Those who wander into the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park Visitor Center are in for a unique encounter—not with a live Roosevelt elk, as typically found in nearby Elk Prairie, but with a remarkable glass-encrusted bull elk sculpture created by Jennifer a’Midi, a local Southern Humboldt mosaic artist.

Weighing 225 pounds and life-sized, the Roosevelt elk sculpture features museum-quality antlers and is covered from head to tail with thousands of hand-cut pieces of glass. These glass pieces form an intricate mosaic depicting scenes of 138 unique habitat types, along with local plants, animals, and fungi, including seven banana slugs and a California Condor.

“Redwood National and State Parks is honored to host a’Midi’s custom-made artwork, and we are thrilled to connect visitors to creative experiences in the parks, which provide inspiration and connection to nature,” said Shelana deSilva, Deputy District Superintendent, during the sculpture’s unveiling on September 13.

The Yurok Tribal Council will soon vote on a Yurok name for the mosaic elk, which State Parks will then feature on an accompanying plaque. The unveiling event, hosted by California State Parks North Coast Redwoods, Redwood Parks Conservancy, and Redwood National and State Parks, concluded with a scavenger hunt for 22 of a’Midi’s mosaic rocks.

This Prairie Creek mosaic elk is the fourth mosaic art sculpture that a’Midi has gifted to a North Coast Redwoods District Park unit. In 2023, she donated her “Mushroom Connection” mosaic, featuring mushrooms and a river scene with otters and salmonids, to the historic Richardson Grove Lodge during Richardson Grove State Park’s Centennial celebration. That same year, she gifted a mosaic otter named “Tce yac” to the Humboldt Redwoods State Park Visitor Center.

More recently, in 2024, a’Midi presented her giant mushroom mosaic titled “Midnight”—named after the fungi Entoloma medianoxa—to the Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park Visitor Center.

When asked what motivates her to create these painstaking mosaic works and generously donate them to local California State Parks, a’Midi shared, “I have a deep passion for the redwoods and protecting them, so I share my art with the public to hopefully inspire conservation and protection of our forests and all the creatures within.”

She added a favorite quote from Pablo Picasso: “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”

After completing the mosaic for Grizzly Creek State Park, a’Midi felt inspired to create mosaic pieces for as many visitor centers as she could. “Every time I’ve visited Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, I see the beautiful elk, so I proposed gifting a mosaic elk to State Parks District Superintendent Victor Bjelajac, and he approved my idea,” she said.

“Jennifer’s attention to detail and species representation is spectacular in her art, and she’s performing a public service at our visitor centers with her donations,” Bjelajac commented.

To begin the project, a’Midi ordered a museum-quality fiberglass and resin sculpture from Texas, then carefully selected scenes from California’s North Coast to incorporate. “I love to draw, so I created a Prairie Side and an Ocean Side scene on each side of the elk to represent Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park,” she explained.

She enjoyed researching the flora, fauna, and fungi native to the Prairie Creek area, choosing those she could depict recognizably in mosaic. The California Condor holds special significance for her, as she has followed their restoration efforts through the Yurok Tribe’s work. “It’s amazing, and I wanted to honor that work,” she said.

“I hope Prairie Creek visitors will be inspired when they see my mosaic elk—and I hope they can find all seven banana slugs hidden within the artwork,” a’Midi shared.

Regarding the biggest challenge in making life forms recognizable in mosaic, a’Midi noted, “Covering any 3D object with flat pieces of glass is a challenge. Curved surfaces require smaller cuts so the glass lays as flat as possible. Small crevices are difficult to get the glass into. Grouting is the most physical part. The best moment was wiping the grout off and seeing my vision become this amazing creation.”

The project took just over a year to complete. “I’m not sure about the total hours, but I worked on it every day, or was researching or engineering it.”

The finished mosaic elk, dubbed the “Great Elk Migration,” required six people to carry it out of a’Midi’s home to a waiting trailer. A convoy of four vehicles then followed the sculpture north to the Prairie Creek Visitor Center, where it was installed indoors in its permanent, protected location.

Looking ahead, a’Midi revealed that her next mosaic animal project will be a black bear for Sue-meg State Park Visitor Center (formerly Patrick’s Point State Park). Bjelajac joked that after completing her mosaic bear, a’Midi would have “only 275 more California State Parks to go.”

Mark Larson (he/him) is a retired Cal Poly Humboldt journalism professor and active freelance photographer who enjoys walking.
https://www.northcoastjournal.com/arts-scene/art-beat/a-mosaic-elk-at-prairie-creek/