Steeped in the histories of global whaling and deeply tied to the objects in the Museum collection, Pettit and Corby poetically engage with Museum artworks, objects, and archives. The two forge tangible connections between past and present through processes of making and adaptation, in order to underscore the global interconnectedness of people and things.

A Singularly Marine & Fabulous Produce: the Cultures of Seaweed opens to the public from June 15 – December 3, 2023 and is curated by Naomi Slipp, Douglas and Cynthia Crocker Endowed Chair for the Chief Curator, and Maura Coughlin, Northeastern University. Much like the space of the shoreline itself, which is never a fixed point but always moving, shifting, and changing depending on the tide, seaweed is uniquely invigorated by its marine environment and always changing — both in form and appearance and in its cultural and social meanings and uses.

Marnie Sinclair (b. 1945) is a process artist and environmental activist who often uses her art to visually express the many complicated issues that surround climate change and ocean pollution. Sinclair was raised in the tropics, then lived and worked on Martha’s Vineyard, and now resides in Damariscotta on the Southern coast of Maine. In each location, she finds inspiration in the shorelines and native wildlife.