HOLY HEXAPOD. Chippewa Valley artists are encouraged to submit their conceptual interpretations of bugs, as seen above, in a new community art installation titled "Insectopia." The installation — coordinated by ArtFly and The Beyond in downtown Eau Claire — will accept submissions until Oct. 4; the exhibition will begin over the weekend of Oct. 18.  (Illustration by Adam Stiglich)

Crawling, creeping, or sporting multicolored wings, insects are the focus of an upcoming artistic installation — or entomology — in the Chippewa Valley.

“Insectopia,” a community art show between Eau Claire’s ArtFly collective and The Beyond (218 N. Dewey St., Eau Claire) will begin in mid-October inside of the downtown oddities shop.

Kelsey Wenberg, ArtFly’s curator, described the forthcoming exhibition as a space that isn’t rooted in curation alone, but instead on the open interpretation of area artists of all experience levels.

“It really gives people a chance to see different kinds of art together; see different artists together that maybe wouldn’t necessarily be paired together,” Kelsey said.

The one common denominator between all submissions will be the installation’s theme: insects. Adam Stiglich, owner of The Beyond and a visual artist, said the shop’s gallery space will appear closer to a museum when put together.

“Everybody has an experience with creepy crawlies, bugs and insects.” -Kelsey Wenberg, ArtFly curator

Like a museum adorns its walls with "point-mounted" specimens, he hopes artists who add their pieces to the installation will explore how insects inhabit our everyday surroundings — with abstract twists.

For Kelsey, she believes insects can become a universal area for common ground, but each individual artists’ memories or associations to the topic allow for varied mediums to complement each other.

“Everybody has an experience with creepy crawlies, bugs and insects,” Kelsey said. “(Adam and I) wanted something that we thought a lot of people could get behind and that a lot of people would be interested in.”

Artists are encouraged to drop off their buzz-worthy art to The Beyond by Oct. 4 to be included in the installation; both Kelsey and Adam plan to show their work in the exhibition, along with Kala Rehberger (The Odd House), Emily Lau, Chanel Harwick (Melk) and Dustin Fredrick.

For our readers who have stepped into The Beyond in person, you might not be surprised to learn Adam will be showcasing his cinephile identity through a collaborative insect-inspired art piece, he teased.

The Beyond (218 N. Dewey St., Eau Claire) an oddity shop and analog media purveyor will soon celebrate its one-year anniversary since opening in 2024. “The one-year anniversary of The Beyond really pushed us to want to do something fun, unique and really celebrate the space,” Kelsey said.

“For the insect show, I’m doing a collaboration with Dustin,” Adam said. “The piece that Dustin and I are going to be working on is going to be a film poster from the movie, ‘The Fly.’ ”

The exhibition will open with a reception on the weekend of Oct. 18, which also coincides with the one-year anniversary of The Beyond's opening up shop in the North Barstow district.

Kelsey reflected on working with Adam over the years through previous ArtFly exhibits, also noting “We've been planning (on) a collaboration for a while and waiting for the right moment.

“The one-year anniversary of The Beyond really pushed us to want to do something fun, unique and really celebrate the space,” she said.

In addition to the oddity shop’s anniversary, there is another reason to celebrate: artists whose work is featured in Insectopia — and available to purchase — will receive 100% of the proceeds, Adam highlighted.

As excitement continues to build, both Kelsey and Adam hope creatives in the region feel they have a chance to present their work in an open, safe, and accessible space.

“I'm just really excited to put together this little puzzle and have something enjoyable — and a little unique — for the Eau Claire art community,” Kelsey said.

Visit the ArtFly webpage online, to learn more about “Insectopia,” a collaboration with The Beyond, and submit your own piece to the community art installation.