Wendy Christensen
Creepy… but Cool!
Wisconsin, we're in that quiet time between hunting seasons, but there's still so much to do in our great state! Buy your leftover turkey tags for the spring season here and be ready to get out there! Today, we talk with our newest recurring guest, taxidermy extraordinaire Wendy Christensen. She last joined us a few weeks ago to discuss her incredible work preserving Samson the gorilla. Wendy's work in taxidermy is super cool, and also admittedly a little creepy. Today, she joins us to discuss something that- even for her- falls firmly in the category creepy, and still cool! Wendy performed some restorative work on a figure for the Body Worlds exhibition in Milwaukee. She also toured their permanent factory in Germany where scientists prepare the figures for exhibition.
In decidedly less creepy conversation, Wendy shares a few stories of her work in creating King Tut's horses for the Crossroads of Civilization exhibit at MPM. Wendy poured thought, care, and SO many hours into creating these beauties!
Born in Wisconsin and making their adventuresome lives here, Joel Kleefisch and Danielle Fairman are Raised in Wisco connecting you to the incredible natural resources of our state. Whether you’re looking to find new ways to take food from field to table or for new outdoor hobbies, we’ve got you covered! For information on all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows.
A Samsonian Effort
We were all raised in Wisco. And you know who else was? A gorilla named Samson. In 1981, Samson the gorilla, a beloved Milwaukee icon who inspired so many to pursue science and love animals, died. After his death, the Milwaukee Zoo and a strong segment of the public wanted his body preserved as a taxidermy mount. And a nearly equally vocal and impassioned group opposed the efforts. So his body sat and waited. By the time the public came around to wanting Samson immortalized in taxidermy form, it was no longer possible. Enter Wendy Christensen, a star taxidermist with the Milwaukee Public Museum since she was 19 years old. Although taxidermy was impossible, Wendy worked for a full year painstakingly crafting a life-size, world-award-winning artificial recreation of Samson that continues to educate new generations at MPM today. Wendy shares her story and experience learning about and memorializing Samson with us today. And don't worry- we'll have her back for more!
