So Long and Thanks for all the Fish /  by CHRISTINA HARKNESS

Last Friday we took down the installation at the Coos Art Museum and packed the reef away once more. Over the past year I have been actively searching for a permanent home for the PNW Community Coral Reef as this four + year project winds down. After reaching out to science organizations, children’s museums, and arts organizations to no avail, I have made the decision to break up the reef. Currently I am dismantling vignettes that I built years ago, boxing up single corals and sending them across country to become a part of a new fiber art reef being built in Massachusetts. Their reef will be at Williams College and their hope is that it will be a permanent display. This feels right to me. Recycling and reusing are fundamental ways forward for everyone. including the PNW Community Coral Reef.

Certain wall hangings and the creatures of the PNW Community Coral Reef will be held back for future donation to marine science organizations to use in fundraising efforts. Chief among these organizations will be the Marine Education and Research Society and the Whale Interpretive Center, both located on Vancouver Island, Canada. The Whale Interpretive Center recently suffered a catastrophic fire and has been fundraising to rebuild their center. If you are interested in donating, please visit their donation page here. To see the center in their former glory, watch the incredible video series Whale Bones that tracks the cleaning and articulation of one of their whale skeletons. Of note, all of their installations and their building were lost in the fire.

I would just like to thank everyone for their participation and hard work on this multi year journey. As far as I go, I will personally continue to create work that supports marine education and supports the protection of our marine environment.

The Art of the Re-jigger /  by CHRISTINA HARKNESS

It’s been a few months since I’ve posted here but there has been work on the PNW Community Coral Reef happening behind the scenes. As we get ready for our next show at the Coos Art Museum in May, I have been taking our frames apart, which were the pieces that created our coral wall. It has been an exercise in Buddhist detachment to sit down and cut apart the 20 frames that took me weeks of work to assemble in the first place.

With the lay out of our upcoming installation being in a small space, the goal is to have our reef based on the floor with a few risers to change the depth here and there. This means, we need a show piece in the center of the room with the installation built around it. I have also taken apart some of our coral vignettes to create a large wall hanging as it will be necessary to take advantage of as much wall space as possible.

I must admit, I am always inspired by the works of Mulyana, the first fiber artist that I came into contact with who made amazing coral installations. The fact that he builds his reefs on the floor and then hangs things from the ceiling to create an all encompassing coral experience makes me believe that we could do something similar.

The one difference is that Mulyana has a huge infrastructure behind him to get his pieces moved from one place to the next. I am currently concerned that I won’t be able to fit the coral pillar that I created from all of the disassembled frames, out of my front door. Since taking these photos, I have wrapped it for moving day and hopefully compressed it a bit. We shall see!

Coos Art Museum 2025 /  by CHRISTINA HARKNESS

After having a few weeks to decompress after our Lincoln City installation came down, the PNW Community Coral Reef has been invited to the Coos Art Museum in Coos Bay, Oregon for an installation running from May 9th through August 3rd, 2025.

What's so great about this project is how the reef is different in every installation. When we have the space to stretch out, the reef can be displayed on a variety of plinths and risers. For this installation, the gallery space is limited and my thought are to utilize the walls and ceiling. Instead of creating an open room experience of a coral reef, I hope to create a cave or cocoon-like experience. Corals on the floor and walls, creatures and kelp coming from the ceiling and a small pathway to walk through.

Since many of our pieces are vignettes and are connected, this entails picking the pieces that are best suited to life on the floor and bringing them along. Other pieces will be dismantled and turned into wall hangings. Additionally, I have started a couple jumbo sized bull kelp to see if they might be happy in this new configuration.

I've already visited the space, paced it out, wondered aloud and scratched my head a few times. My next plan is to visit a couple of nearby sea caves at low tide, just to get myself in the mood.

Onwards!

Ready for Lincoln City! /  by CHRISTINA HARKNESS

Our “rewind” installation is ready to go in Lincoln City and I have to say, it is the best one yet. With bridges and pillars covered in corals, visitors can walk beneath the corals and get a true immersive experience.

The opening reception is Friday August 9th from 5-7 and the exhibit runs through October 13th.

Up Close With the PNW Community Coral Reef /  by CHRISTINA HARKNESS

Over the past few years of working with the pieces of the PNW Community Coral Reef, I have played around with photographing, and having them photographed, in different ways. Imagine my excitement when I found out that a coworker of mine was a macro photographer!

I think it’s always good to have a few wide shots of a reef installation but the real magic happens when you stop and look deeply. I hope that this series of macro shots can reveal the hidden beauty of our reef.