Fluid: What is Marine Art, and What Can It Be?

Fluid: What is Marine Art, and What Can it Be? sets both historic and contemporary work side-by-side in one exhibition. It looks at the origins of marine art as a genre, while also seeking to make connections around multiple themes related to water, and expanding the definition of what marine art can be. 

Traditional marine painter Edward Cooke's dramatic 1858 depiction of a dutch ship battling a storm is re-contextualized by artist Andy Ducett's kinetic sculpture's rhythmic rocking, emulating the motion of a ship at sea. The exhibition includes historic prints that reflect the tranquil allure of the enduring bond between the Japanese people and water, while contemporary photographer Drake Hokanson depicts the draw of boathouse life on the Mississippi River. You can find wooden ship models of the USS Constitution and RMS Titanic, as well as ceramic canoes reflecting life on Lake Superior by artist Anna Metcalfe. Historic views, such as marine painter and explorer William Braford's depiction of the Arctic landscape in the 1880s, allow contemporary artists the opportunity to reflect on our changing planet. Works like Sonja Peterson's grand Empire Builder allow the viewer to contemplate world changing events caused by people's movement across water.