“I took my ten year old granddaughter, Huxley to Salem Willamette Heritage Center to see the Coral Reef in action. It was FABULOUS! What talent! Although a sad statement about the environment, seeing the bleached coral display was sad but beautiful at the same time. The “garbage” made an impact on another group of kids that I watched going through. It was a vivid demonstration of our environmental ravages. The rest of the show was magical. I especially loved the hanging jelly fish, the lantern fish, the shrimp and the big black octopus. Well done!
When someone outside the mill asked Huxley what she thought of the exhibit she full heartedly said “It was SPECTACULAR”! Being a young knitter and crocheter she looked at every inch of the exhibit. I let her spend as much time as she wanted investigating.”
THE COMMUNITY CORAL REEF PROJECT
Many years ago I dreamed up the idea of creating a walk through underwater textile exhibit, much like the Crochet Coral Reef through the Institute for Figuring, but also incorporating sea life and making a real attempt at being an immersive experience. I hoped to create a world that would walk visitors through healthy reefs, bleached reefs, and reefs made of discarded plastics. I wanted it to be educational and beautiful.
It didn’t take very long to realize that one person trying to create all of the elements would never finish. Artists that I admired such as Mulyana had an army of talented creatives helping to construct his fantastic underwater installations. I packed away the few pieces that I had created and continued on with creating my coral reefs on canvases and in aquariums.
In 2021, I had the good fortune to attend a fiber art retreat and met Shanna Smith Suttner who had played around with hyperbolic shapes in the past and we started to chat about creating something big. VERY BIG.
Our goal was to create a walk through underwater fiber art exhibition that would feature coral reefs, both healthy and bleached, marine creatures, and items knitted and crocheted with reclaimed plastics to highlight the crisis of plastics in the ocean.
Currently, we have completed our first installation at the Lincoln City Cultural Center which started in September 22, 2023 and concluded in November 2023. Next, we will be at the Willamette Heritage Center in Salem From March to June, 2024. We will then return to the Lincoln City Cultural Center for a second run in August, 2024. Between these two installations, we will have the reef at the Eugene Textile Center. For the latest updates, visit my Process and Progress blog. Our list of contributing individuals, groups and businesses can be found here.
Our goal is to have this as a traveling exhibition. We are extremely interested in displaying our reef at locations where art and science meet, not only galleries but also museums and science centers.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
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Bleached Reef-Footwise Window, Corvallis, OR March 2023
