The Mantis: Small Yet Mighty

    Lily Rae

Art Education/Sustainability, 2024

Hello! My name is Lily, and I will be majoring in Art Education and minoring in Sustainability at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. My passions consist of creating art, writing music, and enjoying the outdoors! 

This project excites me for a multitude of reasons, for I've always held a huge interest in evolution and the natural world. There are so many incredibly complex and interesting creatures in this world, and for this research project I chose one of the most intriguing organisms to be the main subject. I'm sure many of you have heard of and seen the Praying Mantis, but there are so many incredible attributes and evolutionary characteristics that I'll bet you've never heard of before!


  I will be creating a piece that places emphasis on the behaviors and tendencies of the praying mantis. I personally adore the praying mantis for many reasons, both due to its insane evolutionary characteristics as well as the mystical roots it has in folklore, and I hope that I can help you feel the same about them!

I will be using multiple forms of media to create a collage piece depicting a praying mantis, and the media(s) I use will have some connection to its symbolic and biological characteristics.

Fun Fact #1: Did you know that the praying mantis will not strike at prey until it's completely certain it won't miss? The praying mantis is extremely intelligent, and is signified in some cultures as a symbol of extreme patience.

Stay tuned for more fun facts about the Praying Mantis in my next post:)

Thanks for reading!