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2015
glazed stoneware + porcelain
43 x 42 x 29 cm (17 x 16 ½ x 11 in)
Artist statement:
As her 2009 TED Prize wish, Dr. Sylvia Earle – National Geographic Explorer in Residence and Time Magazine’s first “Hero for the Planet” – stated, “I wish you would use all means at your disposal… to ignite public support for a global network of marine protected areas, Hope Spots large enough to save and restore the ocean, the blue heart of the planet."
I have admired Dr. Earle’s work since my first high school marine biology class. As an artist with a background in marine conservation biology, I believe that art has the unique ability to translate scientific concepts, bring environmental issues to the surface and inspire conservation.
Hope Spots is a series of sculptural vignettes – each an idealized representation of one of the most vital marine ecosystems on Earth as identified by Dr. Earle.
Learn more about Hope Spots at MissionBlue.org.
Photos by Courtney Mattison