A Project Update

The Squirrel Database now has 350 catalogued entries, following a recent phase of photography, cataloguing, and studio organization. I’d like to thank Felix Pauliszyn, who joined the project as a Database and Collections Assistant this past summer and helped make this growing collection easier to explore and care for.

For those encountering the project for the first time, Squirrel Database is a participatory archive of squirrel-themed objects and imagery developed through my art and research practice. The collection has grown largely through gifts received since 2007, although its earliest object is a squirrel-shaped coin bank inherited from my grandmother in 1998. Publicly accessible online since spring 2022, it includes ceramics, books, toys, clothing, artworks, and many unexpected interpretations of a squirrel.

Felix photographed and catalogued 134 new entries, standardized accession numbers and labels, corrected existing records, and developed a system for locating objects in storage. These changes make it much easier to connect a digital record with its physical object—and to find that object again.

He also helped document the process itself. What began as two pages of instructions covered in sticky notes became a step-by-step manual for adding entries, maintaining the database, and troubleshooting problems. This will be a valuable resource as the collection continues to grow and future assistants join the project.

Before and after: Felix Pauliszyn helped photograph, catalogue, and squirrel away 134 new entries for the Squirrel Database—revealing the table beneath the collection.

Alongside this practical work, Felix offered a thoughtful reflection on what the collection holds:

“Reflecting on the project, the strongest theme I see is human connection. Every donated item begins with someone noticing it, thinking of the database, and taking the time and effort to contribute. Individually, these may seem like small gestures; together, they represent hundreds, perhaps thousands, of hours of thought and action. Every item has a story. The lifeblood of the Squirrel Database is the kindness of those who help create it. ”

Felix captures something that can be difficult to convey through one catalogue entry alone.

Felix also described his work as a collaboration reaching beyond the studio:

“It feels as though I have collaborated with everyone who has donated to the collection. I can’t wait to see what Phase 4 brings!”

Thank you, Felix, for your patience, initiative, and attention to detail, and for recognizing the relationships that make this project possible.

Thank you, too, to everyone who has contributed over the years. A few more squirrel discoveries have since trickled in, and I’ll be photographing, cataloguing, and posting those soon.

In the meantime, you can browse the collection at squirreldatabase.com. You might recognize something you’ve contributed—or discover a squirrel you weren’t expecting.