New exhibit showcases community plankton art for World Oceans Day
Plankton Mandala Art Exhibit at the Alaska SeaLife Center. Credit: Kim McNett.
In celebration of World Oceans Day, the Alaska SeaLife Center featured a captivating new exhibit that bridges the worlds of microscopic marine science and fine art. The “Plankton Mandala Art Exhibit” is the culmination of a multi-year collaboration between a team of ocean ecologists from the University of Hawai‘i (UH) at Mānoa and an Alaska-based artist and educator. The exhibition showcases intricate artwork that captures the beauty of the smallest ocean animals, all created during an artist-in-residence program at Seward Middle School and community workshops at Alaska SeaLife Center.
“It is easy to overlook the details of an organism—until you try to draw it,” said Petra Lenz, project lead and research professor at the Pacific Biosciences Research Center (PBRC) in the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. “Combining art and science allows us to introduce concepts and characteristics that are easily missed. Sensory hairs, eyes, and symmetry take on a new meaning when they become part of a drawing.”
Sharing discoveries with communities
The National Science Foundation-funded science driving this initiative focuses on the annual “spring restart” of the zooplankton community in the Gulf of Alaska, a time when tiny crustaceans awake from a wintertime lull and flourish as days become longer. The PBRC research team is assessing the understudied winter and early spring cycles to determine how species of zooplankton grow, stay healthy and are distributed throughout the water depths. Zooplankton, particularly tiny crustaceans known as copepods, serve as the crucial link connecting microscopic algae to economically vital fisheries, seabirds, and marine mammals.
From the start, Lenz worked with Alaska artist Kim McNett to develop an innovative educational experience that translates complex biological concepts into hands-on art. While McNett developed the art component, how to engage students and adults in plankton theme artwork, select art materials, sample drawings, and reference materials; Lenz and her graduate student Lauren Block worked on the scientific concepts and hands-on science activities.
The three together conducted the mandala workshops that used structured, circular designs to mirror the symmetry and beauty of microscopic plankton and were deeply engaging to students and community members alike. Workshop attendees had discussions with McNett and the researchers, studied live plankton on video screens, learned about marine ecology, and created their own plankton mandalas to take home.
“A mandala is built with repeating patterns and forms, which helps students tap into a creative flow-state,” said McNett. “The Plankton Mandala project uses both science for our minds and creative expression for our hearts to grow gratitude for the source of life in the sea.”
The World Oceans Day celebration showcased this creative endeavor for visitors at the Alaska SeaLife Center.
Latest research from the project
In addition to her role in the project’s community outreach, Block spearheaded much of the fieldwork and foundational research for the project. Highlighting the scientific success of the project, Block’s findings were recently published in the academic journal Progress in Oceanography. Block’s research integrated traditional sampling methods with modern molecular approaches to characterize the diversity, development, feeding and physiology of zooplankton in a deep Alaskan Fjord, Resurrection Bay.
Block, Lenz and co-authors from the University of Alaska – Fairbanks discovered that a diverse community of tiny, drifting crustaceans survive the harsh season by hiding in deep waters or staying in their early larval stages. This variety of survival and breeding strategies creates a staggered timeline for new generations, which may contribute to ecosystem stability and resilience.