CTSG-supported artists, NASA images featured in exhibit

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"Catch the Wave," by sTo Len
“Catch the Wave,” by sTo Len

An opening reception for two concurrent exhibits will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at the Alexey von Schlippe Gallery. The event will include a gallery talk at 6:30 p.m.

The exhibits are: “Floating Points: Observing the Plastisphere with NASA,” and “Waterbodies: Works by Marsha Borden, sTo Len, and Etty Yaniv,” which features two CT Sea Grant-supported artists.  Both exhibits will be on display until Dec. 10.

“Floating Points” will exhibit photography by Oskar Landi in collaboration with Avery Point Marine Sciences Professor and Researcher Dr. Heidi Dierssen and NASA.

For the gallery talk at the opening reception, Landi will introduce his photographic and video work and Dierssen will explain the challenges in detecting the billions of pieces of microplastics floating on the open ocean from NASA’s arsenal of ocean observing satellites. 

The exhibition will promote environmental literacy about microplastics and highlight the quest to track floating plastics using optical remote sensing from satellites. It will present the challenges of “seeing” particles on the sea surface from space because of foam, glint, aerosols, and other things that can mask or even mimic the appearance of floating microplastics. The exhibition will demonstrate a two-way collaborative dialogue between art and science—the science informing the art and the art informing the science. 

The “Waterbodies” show will be an exciting exhibition of textiles, installation, and print by three contemporary artists whose works communicate awareness of the beauty of our waterways and marine environments. Marsha Borden and sTo Len, both recipients of 2022 Connecticut Sea Grant Art Support Awards, will be exhibiting artworks created through this support from Connecticut Sea Grant. Etty Yaniv, a nationally and internationally exhibiting artist, and founder and editor of the online magazine Art Spiel, will present a site-specific installation in the gallery. 

The AVS Gallery, on the campus of UConn Avery Point, is free and open to the public. It is located on the second floor of the Branford House and is open from 12-4 p.m. Thursday-Sunday.