Artist Talk:
* Thursday, June 16, 6:00 - 8:00 pm

Exhibition Dates:
* May 15 - July 10

Colorful, contemporary seaweed portraits combine with fascinating historical imagery to create an exhibit that takes us deep into the beauty and science of seaweed. The Curious World of Seaweed is a journey into the underrepresented stories of the marine algae, (seaweed and kelp) flourishing just under the dynamic waves of the Pacific Ocean.

In The Studio, Josie Iselin exhibits the artwork that inspired the research and writing of her book, and makes us appreciate in awe these dynamic and spectacular organisms of the ocean world or found flung up on a local beach or in the tide-pools.

The seaweeds have taken me on a visual and ecological adventure that I could never have imagined would be so profound. Marine algae (seaweed and kelp) are extraordinarily beautiful—vibrant and varied—and as the primary producers of our near shore oceans they are the underpinnings to life in the sea.

They are the base of the food chain and they create habit, a place to live for the diversity of organisms that make the coastal waters of California so rich. And yet, the usual reaction to thinking about seaweed is “Yuck” or “Oh I never noticed that before.”

Getting people to notice this “other flora” is my mission; and once noticed to be astounded enough to want to know more.
—Josie Iselin