Oceans: Echoes of Existence

• Thu, May 23, 2024 - Sat, Jul 6, 2024  9am - 6pm On view
• Thursday, May 23, 2024  6pm - 8pm Opening Reception

Artists Eric Coan and Kelly Best Bourgeois explore humankind’s primordial connection to the sea in their joint exhibition Oceans: Echoes of Existence. Their paintings, sculptures, and mixed-media pieces depict images ranging from wildlife, to plant life, clouds, waves, and abstractions. The oceans can both fuel hurricanes, and calm our souls with their beauty and serenity. They are home to biodiverse plants and wildlife. It is believed by many, and supported by a Harvard-led study, that water once covered the entire surface of the Earth. The ancient ocean teemed with life, as evidenced by oldest fossil ever found, a jellyfish dating back to more than 500 million years, and a pelican-like fossil dating back to 36 million years ago. Our oceans contain 97% of the Earth’s water, cover more than 70% of its surface, and are a source of food, commerce, travel, recreation, and life itself, supporting entire cultures from fishing villages in Scandinavia to island nations in the Pacific and the Caribbean.

In Oceans: Echoes of Existence, Kelly Best Bourgeois and Eric Coan explore new approaches to their subject matter of flora and fauna, and other wonders that make up their deeply personal connections to the sea. World Oceans Day, recognized this year on June 7 and 8, by all member states of the United Nations is a day of reflection and action. We are one world, one ocean, one existence linked through nature, the winds, waves, and tides. As we acknowledge the beauty and power of our world ocean, we must strive to protect it and the life it supports, including our very own.

The exhibition is on view at Sabine Street Studios in the North Gallery through July 6. Join the artists for an opening reception on Thursday, May 23 from 6-8pm.