As we head into spring, we are excited to share a new installation that is brightening our doorway- quite literally. “Waves of Change” is a permanent piece that brings the ocean into our office to demonstrate the beauty and importance of our nearby coastlines, made for us by St. George’s students Tyler Boone, Ray Ottiano, and Priscilla Zhu, under the direction of their art teacher Steve Totin.
Our collaboration with these St. George’s student artists started when, inspired by our mission, they conducted a beach cleanup along Second Beach in Middletown, and used the debris they found to create a large collaborative mural. The students displayed this mural, and individual wood prints they made following a visit to the Newport Marina Trash Skimmer, in a show this January at our office. The visual arts are an impactful platform to share information and inspire change and we were honored to showcase these impressive artistic works and environmental messages as part of our first “Students for the Sea” art show.
The students’ artistic input didn’t end after the close of their art show. The bare material of the desk in our entryway sparked their interest, and they proposed crafting a permanent mural-type installation that would bring the coastal waters we love directly into our workplace. Under the leadership of St. George’s art instructor Steve Totin, three of the students used their talents to transform our entryway. Tyler Boone, Ray Ottiano, and Priscilla Zhu created “Waves of Change” in a multi-step process, starting with sketching the design on photos of the COA office front desk. The official debut of this piece will take place at our “Creations for the Oceans” gallery opening on Thursday, March 31 at 6:30 pm. Join us by registering here!