The coral pillar survived the trip to the museum (and so did all of the “reef elfs” who helped to move it).
The official opening of the Coos Art Museum exhibit starts May 9th. Stop on by, I think it’s rather magical.
More photos to come!
The Art of the Re-jigger /
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 /
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! /
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 /
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.
Kelp Fest and Coral Klaxons! /
The opening at the Mendocino Art Center for Kelp Fest was very enjoyable and the Mendocino area, including Fort Bragg, was lovely. And as a fan of crazy yard art, the huge blue whale in the front of someone’s home was fantastic!
Now that I am back in Oregon, the reality of the last month of the PNW Community Coral Reef at the Willamette Heritage Center is sinking in. While we will be moving the reef to the Eugene Textile Center immediately after Salem closes, the next show in Lincoln City, which starts in early August, is looming. The plan to build some bigger structures for the reef in the textile studio means that we will need more hyperbolics.
So I am sounding the klaxon now!!!
We can take both healthy and bleached corals. Let me know if you are planning to make some!