Nudibranch: Art, Ocean Acidification and the Sea Slug

Date: 
Thursday, September 27, 2018 - 7:00pm
Location: 
Kehler Liddell Gallery
873 Whalley Avenue
New Haven, CT 06515
Description: 

Join Westville's own slug sculptor Gar Waterman for a special FREE presentation all about Nudibranchs (aka Sea Slugs). Discover the fascinating world of these tiny, sublimely colorful and bio diverse creatures, and discover them as sculpture in his current exhibit: Canaries in a Blue Coal Mine (on view now @ KLG through October 6th). "Unique among the many pressing challenges we face, the impact of Climate Change is on a global scale and will unequivocally affect us all. Specific examples can help us to understand a very complicated phenomenon, and this is where art and science together have an opportunity to engage and inform more effectively than either might be able to on their own." - Gar Waterman ABOUT "Canaries in a Blue Coal Mine- Waterman’s sculpture is often infused with a visual foundation of marine imagery – the product of years of diving with his underwater filmmaker father. As biodiversity vanishes at an unprecedented rate, from both above and below the water line, Waterman believes that “art inspired by nature takes on a new kind of political urgency as the subject matter disappears in front of our eyes.” Waterman explains: “Canaries in a Blue Coal Mine represents what, I hope, is an informative dialogue between art, the marine creatures that inspire it, and what ocean acidification will mean for us all.” ABOUT Gar Waterman- Gar Waterman was born in Maine and grew up in Princeton, NJ, with a formative year in Tahiti, where his father documented their underwater adventure, exploring the barrier reefs of the South Pacific, in a National Geographic Special. After graduating Dartmouth, Waterman moved to Pietrasanta, Italy, where he lived for seven years and learned to carve stone. His sculpture combines observation of natural phenomena, sensual devotion to the tactile possibilities of material, and a model maker's tinkering sensibility. In 1996, the artist acquired an abandoned warehouse for $1 from the City of New Haven and transformed it into West Rock Studio, where he has lived and worked for the last 22 years. More information: www.garwaterman.com.