Humankind has always been fascinated with the creatures that populate the world. In the Americas, wildlife such as the jaguar, harpy eagle and howler monkey became religious symbols of divinity and rulership, playing significant roles in religion and society. Artworks were made in the images of these beings to bestow supernatural powers, to protect and for worship. Other masterpieces were made to transform humans into other creatures or to show that transformation. 

Using examples from the exhibition Fangs, Feathers and Fins: Sacred Creatures in Ancient American Art, Chelsea Dacus explores the meanings of different animals to the cultures of the ancient Americas and the ways these meanings were expressed through art, allowing a window into the beliefs and practices of cultures long vanished.