Love the ocean? Wanna make some art? San Francisco artist and author Josie Iselin will be here in person for our June 2-4 Seaweed Weekend Events. 12 lucky people will have the opportunity to interact one-on-one with Josie via her Saturday June 3 11 am – 2:30 PM Art & Algae Workshop.
Workshop Details: Josie teaches an Art & Algae workshop whereby she introduces students of all ages to cyanotype (blue) printing (an alternative photography technique) using her vast collection of dried seaweed specimens as image-making material. This is an excellent way to introduce some basics of seaweed biology and ecology as well as being a basic photography class yet requiring only sunlight and water. The rewards are huge, and it has been successfully run with an array of ages, with artists and scientists, teachers, and students. The workshop is 3.0 hours long and has been run in all weather, sun, fog, and even rain! The only requirements are part sun, part shade and access to water. The end results are joyous and revelatory; while making art, participants have learned about an ocean ecology they haven’t thought much about before.
-Number of participants: 12; pre-registration required; non-refundable but transferable
-Josie makes all the photosensitive paper beforehand on fine art watercolor paper in varying sizes so everyone can go home with four or five prints of their own.
-All materials are included.
-Cost: $90/person; LCHS Members $85
-Participants should bring a brown bag lunch
-Class Location & Time: PMHC, 11 am – 2:30 PM
Testimonial from our Executive Director: This is a fun class that people of all skill levels can do. You do not have to be artistically inclined. I have personally taken this class and I do not consider myself an artist. I can’t even draw stick people! I enjoyed playing around with the different dried seaweeds and the sunlight exposure which resulted in some very cool paper art!
What: The Curious World of Seaweed exhibit opens May 25
What Else: June 2 – 4, 2023 Seaweed Weekend at the Maritime
Location: Pacific Maritime Heritage Center, 333 SE Bay Blvd., Newport, OR 97365
Museum Hours of Operation: Tuesday – Sunday 11 – 4
Exhibit Opening Reception: May 25 4-7 PM Free and Open to the Public
“The Curious World of Seaweed” Provides a Stunning Look at Marine Flora
The Lincoln County Historical Society is pleased to present “The Curious World of Seaweed,” an extraordinary exhibition featuring captivating color “portraits” of seaweed. The temporary exhibition merges history, art & science by featuring surprising stories highlighting Indigenous peoples’ and women’s connections to seaweed and examines its vital role as the base of the food chain. “The Curious World of Seaweed” opens on May 25 and will be on view through October 1 at the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center located on the Newport, Oregon Bayfront. The exhibit is sponsored by Englund Marine & Industrial Supply. Additional support is provided by Discover Newport, BW Agate Beach and Local Ocean.
Seaweeds have three requirements for survival: something to hold onto, sunlight to provide energy, and nutrients to fuel growth. They find these three elements in a thin section of the ocean, which accounts for less than two percent of the entire sea floor. Yet seaweeds are the supreme eco-engineers, oxygenating the waters and creating habitats for countess organisms. This exhibition examines how these surprisingly sophisticated marine plants keep our planet opulently rich in life.
“The Curious World of Seaweed” highlights the works and research of San Francisco based photographer and author, Josie Iselin. “The Curious World of Seaweed” publication was released by Heyday Books in August 2019. Copies of the book are available for sale at the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center. Iselin’s writing and art focusing on seaweed, kelp and sea otters puts her on the forefront of interdisciplinary education about the ocean, while presenting and working with scientists and environmental groups working to preserve the kelp forests of the Pacific Coast.
A free opening reception will take place on May 25 from 4-7 PM at the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center. Appetizers will be provided by Local Ocean.
Additional related programming includes a June 2-4 Seaweed Weekend where Josie Iselin and others will be at the PMHC to participate in a panel discussion, lecture, meet & greet book signings, two classes, a performative tattoo art demonstration and an Oregon Seaweed Booth. More details are below.
For those wanting to make their own seaweed art, Iselin will be teaching a, Art & Algae: Cyanotype Printing Workshopwhere she introduces students to cyanotype printing (an alternative photography technique) using her vast collection of dried seaweed specimens as image-making material. This is an excellent way to introduce some basics of seaweed biology and ecology while making art. Iselin makes all the photosensitive paper beforehand on fine art watercolor paper in varying sizes so everyone can go home with four or five prints of their own. The class is at the PMHC on June 3, 11 am – 2:30 PM; all materials are included. Class fee is $90 per person; LCHS members receive a $5 discount. Students should bring a brown bag lunch. Pre-registration and fee are required; the class is limited to 12 participants. Contact the PMHC to register, call 541-265-7509.
For those wanting an opportunity to learn to ID seaweeds and seaweed foraging, a Seaweed Identification Workshopwith Alanna Kiefer, Shifting Tides NW, is offered on Sunday June 4, 7-9 am; $40 per person, limited to 25 participants. Alanna will discuss Oregon’s intertidal ecology, knowing the tides and conditions of the ocean as well as a heavy focus on the array of seaweeds along our shores. This day will be one of the lowest tides of the year and a great morning for exposure to seaweeds. Registration for this class is available online through shiftingtidesnw.com.
Exhibition Support
The Curious World of Seaweed is a traveling exhibition from author and artist Josie Iselin in partnership with Exhibit Envoy. The exhibit is based on the book of the same name by Iselin (Heyday Books).
About Exhibit Envoy
Exhibit Envoy provides traveling exhibitions and professional services to museums throughout California. For more information, visit http://www.exhibitenvoy.org.
About Josie Iselin
Josie Iselin is a photographer, author, and designer of many books. Her newest book, The Curious World of Seaweed, presents visually rich narratives of our iconic West Coast seaweeds and kelps. It was released by Heyday Books in August 2019 and has been shortlisted for the Northern California Book Award and the Alice Award, recognizing illustrated books. She holds a BA in Visual and Environmental Studies from Harvard and an MFA from San Francisco State University. She currently teaches in the School of Design at SFSU.
More Detail on the June 2-4 Seaweed Weekend Itinerary at the PMHC
Friday June 2, 2023
Above/Below: Bridging Kelp Forest Communities (Free and Open to the Public)
4PM Panel Discussion in the Doerfler Family Theater at the PMHC.
Moderator: Karina Nielsen, Director, Oregon Sea Grant
Panelists:
Josie Iselin to discuss bringing art & science together to tell stories.
Tom Calvanese, OSU Extension to discuss their kelp project/ORKA Oregon Kelp Alliance
Peter Hatch, CTSI to discuss the cultural history and contemporary investment in kelp/seaweed.
Alanna Kieffer, Shifting Tides and Oregon Seaweed
Sara Hamilton, Oregon Kelp Alliance
Saturday June 3, 2023
Art & Algae: Cyanotype Printing Workshop SOLD OUT (Pre-registration required; limited to 12) (Fee: $90 per person; $85 for LCHS Members)
11 am – 2:30 Hands-on workshop with San Francisco Artist Josie Iselin. Josie will be teaching an Art & Algae workshop where students will learn about cyanotype (blue) printing using her vast collection of dried seaweed specimens as image-making material. This is an excellent way to introduce some basics of seaweed biology and ecology as well as being a basic photography class requiring only photosensitive fine art watercolor paper, sunlight, and water. The workshop is 3.0 hours long resulting in take home art! Pre-registration is required. The workshop is limited to 12 participants. Cost is: $90 per person; $85 for LCHS Members. All materials are included. Participants advised to bring a brown bag lunch. Call the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center to register, 541-265-7509.
Art & Algae: An Artist’s Journey into the Science of Seaweed
(Free; Museum Admission Fee Waived)
4 PM Josie Iselin Lecture in the Doerfler Family Theater at the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center followed by a Book Signing, Ocean Garden and The Curious World of Seaweed.
Sunday June 4, 2023
Seaweed Identification WorkshopSOLD OUT
(Pre-registration required through shiftingtidesnw.com; $40 per person)
7 – 9 am; limited to 25 participants
We’re taking advantage of incredibly low tides during this special weekend and offering a chance to explore to rocky shores and learn how to identify and sustainably harvest wild seaweeds. This workshop will go over general oceanography, intertidal ecology, with a focus on identification of wild seaweeds and sustainable harvest methods. The Pacific Northwest is home to some of the most biodiverse intertidal systems, and more kelp species than anywhere else on earth. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore with Alanna Kieffer (Shifting Tides and Oregon Seaweed) on one of the lowest tides of the year.
Performative Tattoo Art Demonstration
(Free with Paid Museum Admission Fee)
10 am – 5 PM Noted Tattoo Artist Luka Weinberger, @Lowbarart or lowbarart.com, will create a one-of-a-kind Josie Iselin design bull kelp wrap tattoo design for one lucky person’s forearm. This Performative Tattoo Art Demonstration will be happening in real time over a 7-hour period while museum visitors observe. For an $1,800 tattoo fee one lucky person will be the recipient of this one-of-a-kind body art; proceeds to benefit the Above/Below Indigenous Kelp project. Above/Below is initiating a tribal liaison position to help coordinate art & algae workshops with youth groups, artist’s and writer’s commissions and research of tribal uses of bull kelp. Inquiries for tattoo: josieiselin@lovingblind.com.
Meet & Greet with Josie Iselin & Book Signing Opportunity
(Free with Paid Museum Admission Fee)
11 am – 4PM Meet & Greet at the PMHC with San Francisco author, Josie Iselin & a book signing opportunity for Iselin’s: An Ocean Garden: The Secret Life of Seaweed and Curious World of Seaweed.
Oregon Seaweed Booth with Alanna Kieffer
(Free with Paid Museum Admission Fee)
11 am – 4 PM Alanna Kieffer, Farm & Sales Manager, Oregon Seaweed and Shifting Tides, to informally discuss seaweed farming with a tasting option and recipes.
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Available at the PMHC Museum Store
Josie Iselin’s books, notecards and a selection of her USA made designer scarves are available for purchase in the PMHC museum store.
Cost: Museum admission rates apply. Free admission to members of the Lincoln County Historical Society, Children aged 12 and under, Active-Duty Military.
The Lincoln County Historical Society is hosting its Annual Membership Meeting in the Doerfler Family Theater at the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center, Saturday May 13 at 2 PM. The business meeting is from 2 – 2:30 PM followed by a special living history performance entitled, The Great Dissenter: Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. This is a unique opportunity to experience Oregon attorney William A. Barton bring U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. to life in a living history performance that explores personal aspects of his life missed by some biographers and readers. The Justice also plans to talk about how the 1923 Supreme Court differs from the Supreme Court of today.
The Lincoln County Historical Society held their first annual membership meeting in 1948. This program is a part of what would have been the 75th annual membership meeting for the Lincoln County Historical Society; due to the pandemic the LCHS did not hold in person meetings in 2020 & 2021. The performance is open to the public. Museum admission rates apply; current members of the Lincoln County Historical Society, children aged 12 and under and active-duty military get in free. Not a member? Membership lapsed? No worries, arrive early and the museum staff will help you update your membership status when you enter the building.
More about the program:
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841-1935) served on the United States Supreme Court from 1902-1932. He is known as “The Great Dissenter.” Before being appointed to the U. S. Supreme Court, he served on the Massachusetts Supreme Court for 20 years and is the author of The Common Law (1881).
The justice is buried in Arlington and will be appearing pursuant to subpoena issued by attorney William Barton. Holmes is one of America’s most celebrated jurists. He was featured on the cover of Time magazine, received the Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian honor, and addressed the nation by radio on his 90th birthday.
In 1950 a movie, The Magnificent Yankee, chronicled his life. It was nominated for two academy awards. It was based on a 1946 Broadway play in which the justice was portrayed by Louis Calhern. In 1965, the Hallmark Hall of Fame series presented The Magnificent Yankee, a movie made for television which received three Emmy’s. In 1968 the U.S. Postal Service commemorated Holmes on a stamp.
As a courtesy to the justice, Dvorak’s New World Symphony, which was performed at his funeral, will be played prior to his appearance.
About Oregon Attorney William A. Barton:
William A. Barton has performed as Justice Holmes around the country and before the U. S. Supreme Court. He has practiced law for 51 years as a plaintiffs’ personal injury lawyer solving around 500 cases, including litigation for sexual exploitation of youth in the Archdiocese of Portland and the Boy Scouts. Barton resides in Newport, Oregon with his wife JoAnn.
The Lincoln County Historical Society operates two historic properties that include 5 buildings: the 1895 Burrows House/ Carriage House/Garages & Log Cabin Research Library located at 545 SW 9th St., Newport, Oregon, AND the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center located at 333 SE Bay Blvd., Newport, Oregon. The PMHC is open to the public Tuesday – Sunday 11 am – 4 PM. The 1895 Burrows House is currently closed for repairs but is scheduled to reopen Summer 2023. The Log Cabin Research Library is open by appointment. For more information call: 541-265-7509, email director@oregoncoasthistory.org or visit www.oregoncoasthistory.org. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter.
Opening Reception: March 10, 4-7 PM; free and open to public
Drone Demonstration in the Doerfler Family Theater inside the PMHC: April 9, 1PM
Click here for a teaser:
March 10, 2023 we celebrate the opening of our newest exhibit, Lincoln County 400′ which is an exhibition focused on contemporary drone photography AND historical aerial images from the LCHS collection. This invitational exhibition features the work of drone photographers who fly under 400 feet while documenting the landscape of Lincoln County, Oregon. Technology has created a new avenue for photographers to work, creating still or panoramic images and video footage taken from the sky via drone. In comparison, historic aerial images from our archives will be juxtaposed amongst the drone work. Some of the drone work will be available for purchase; pick up of sold work after the exhibition run completes.
Special thanks to videographer Casey Felton and the Newport News Times for their videography support.
Featuring visiting artist Nayana LaFond and others
Art Demonstration: March 25, 1PM Painting Demonstration by Nayana L
Exhibition Summary
The Lincoln County Historical Society is proud to host this very important and timely exhibition by indigenous artist Nayana Lafond. According to Executive Director Susan Tissot, “this exhibition is about bringing awareness and healing to the communities it visits. The MMIWG2S has reached a crisis stage impacting indigenous communities throughout north America. There are four Siletz tribal members in this exhibition which illustrates that our community is not immune to the issues related to this horrific crisis. We bring this exhibition to the community in partnership with the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and the non-profit, My Sisters Place. The exhibit contains 40 portraits of indigenous people who are either missing, murdered, or working as advocates to bring forth awareness. LaFond has taken great care to respectfully represent the people she paints for this project.”
“I want to paint them the way the spirits would see them,” the artist Nayana Lafond says of the 40 portraits in the exhibition. All are of missing or murdered indigenous people, or activists committed to the cause for generating awareness and honoring those who have been lost.
I began this painting project without the intention of it becoming a project at all. I intended to make one painting as a catharsis and tribute to a domestic violence survivor and my matrilineal line. The response to the first painting was so strong I decided to paint another. This began on May 5, 2020 when I was in quarantine and looking for something to occupy my time.
After an even larger online response to the second portrait, I decided to tell people that if they send me their images, I would paint them to raise awareness about the crisis. Within the first day I received 25 emails and private messages with images and stories. I soon figured out that I needed to paint them all. I could not say yes to some and say no to others. As of September 2022 I have completed 90 works and have a constant queue of 30 or more at a time.
I paint them all for free, and I provide unlimited free prints to the families while exhibiting the originals to raise awareness. Because of so many messages and requests coming in, I declared it to be a project – the MMIWG/P Painting project began.
Each portrait is painted in black and white with red being the only visible color because spirits can only see red. Through painting these people, I seek to elevate their voices, promote healing and spark discussion while contributing toward change. Each painting brings me healing from my own experiences and the experiences of my family members and I hope it brings some healing to those I paint and their families.
Among Nayana LaFond’s subjects in “Portraits in Red”, four are members of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, three are missing or murdered and one is an activist: Delight Attebury, Manuel Bayya, and Anthony Tolentino; Lucy is an 18-year-old advocate.
I also hope to raise awareness about this issue through exhibiting the work. Eventually if I do make the work available for sale I will donate to various charities including the NIWRC (National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center).
Artist Statement
Nayana (B 1981) is a full-time multidisciplinary artist and activist who resides with her child in Western Massachusetts. She attended Greenfield Community College and Massachusetts College of Art for Photography and then dropped out to become a full-time painter. Her paintings can be seen in collections, galleries, and museums around the world.
Nayana has been a curator and community arts organizer for over 20 years including former founding Chief Curator for The Whitney Center for the Arts. She also sits on several arts organization boards, including “Artist Organized Art”, and is an advisor for “Be The Change” and “The Native Youth Empowerment Foundation”.
Nayana’s work often deals with issues related to trauma and violence including her experiences as a Leukemia and Bone Marrow transplant and DV survivor.
Exhibit Support & Partners: Newport News Times, Central Oregon Coast NOW, Advantage Real Estate, Best Western Agate Beach, Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, My Sisters Place (MSP).
Additional Information
Because our region has been impacted by this horrible crisis, we reached out to our museum colleagues in Oregon and Washington to ensure that this important project is seen in our region. Here is the schedule of PNW exhibition run dates:
Pacific Maritime Heritage Center, Newport OR, Contact Person: Susan Tissot Jan 27 – May 7, 2023
Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum, Ilwaco, WA, Contact Person: Madeline Matson May 19 – July 8, 2023.
Wanapum Cultural Center, Ellensburg, WA, Contact Person: Angela Neller July 15 – October 15, 2023
Yakima Valley Museum, Yakima, WA Contact Person: Heath Lambe October 20 – January 15, 2024
Tamastslikt Cultural Center in Pendleton, OR, Contact Person: Randall Melton Feb 3 – May 6, 2024.
