Photos by Adam Wallacavage framed
A local sculptor expands the definition of wildlife art. Seth Meisterman began making Crab Racers about a year ago, when
he was student at the University of the Arts. His work, huge found-wood
sculpture, just wasn't challenging him anymore. So he found a hobby. He had always been fascinated by the crab races held at flea markets
and state fairs he attended as a boy growing up in Albany, NY,
and a place he calls Truckstopville (somewhere in northern Delaware).
"People would freak out. They'd be yelling at their crabs to go
faster," says the 21-year-old. But the crabs didn't go anywhere - except sideways and clockways and backways. The races would be more exciting, thought Meisterman, if the crabs
actually moved. So he had a Frankensteinian idea: Why not put them on wheels?
He combed the Jersey shore for shells, finding female blue crab
shells and the occasional prickly-pear-textured dungeoness crab.
He transformed them into miniature sculptures. He spent so much time on his "hobby" that he had nothing to show
for his senior show. Except a handful of souped-up crab shells.
So he created a traveling sideshow of sorts, with all the accouterments:
rolling, lighted display cases, complete with sand; packaging
design; and a mid-reception crab race. Each 3-inch-high sculpture - from the genuine crab-claw axles
to the miniature plastic engines on the crabs' underbellies, to
the smooth, sparkly paint job - is the result of hours and hours
of work. He even includes racing stripes, Budweiser sponsor stickers
and personalized license plates (one reads "2-THE-C"). Though the faculty at UArts was enthusiastic about his turn in
direction, there were a few elements they refused to let him include:
a roving swimsuit-clad score card girl and a pot of boiling water
for the crabs that came in last place. "Too lowbrow for them," he figures. Since his show, he has thrown out most of his old artwork and
dedicated himself to crabs. For $30 you can make your own Crab Racers. Meisterman's kit includes
paint, crab shell, engine parts and wheels. They're not easy to make, but you can be the first kid on your
block with a crab on wheels. Crabulous.
Go Crab Racer, Go!
