Previous Coastal Arts Support Projects
Keith Van Norman
"Rhapsody in Gray" Large Format Woodcut Print and Augmented Reality Experience (ARE)
This piece features the silhouette of a gray whale. Images within the silhouette highlight coastal ecosystems, how they function, and the biodiversity of reef ecology. It is meant to cultivate environmental literacy, including an understanding of traditional, Indigenous, and local knowledge, with a focus on coastal, coastal watershed, and marine ecosystems.
It is accompanied by an augmented reality (AR) experience featuring videos from marine scientists, conservationists, historians, and members of the Coquille Indian Tribe. The videos feature music by Joshua Phillips, inspired by gray whale vocalizations.
Tim Bulster of Tiller of the Moon
"Wasson" Concept Album
A 9 song concept album inspired by Bulster's experiences helping with the Wasson Creek Restoration Project at the South Slough National Esutarine Research Reserve. The album was released on all streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, etc,) in May 2025 and a live musical performance of "Wasson" was held at the Reserve on May 31, 2025.
"I was able to do a lot of field work thanks to this project, " says Bulster. "It was fun to be involved, and I learned a lot. I helped build Beaver Dam Analogs, drain creeks and relocate fish and lampreys, identify native plants, spread native seeds, build nurse cribs, and more. It was very inspiring to turn all of these experiences into music."
Emy Daniels
"Innovations in Bycatch Reduction" Artwork
An interdisciplinary approach to telling science stories to the public through visual arts while elevating the trade skills of welding, metal work and fishing net construction. As part of this project, Daniels produced two pieces, one of which is, "School Parabola," a multi-media mural installation depicting an oceanographic survey of hake populations. It consists of a painted ocean background, a vinyl print of actual NOAA sonar data from a hake survey, metal work to depict hake and the NOAA vessel RV Shimada which does those surveys.
Brooke Nuckles
"Waves" Interactive Fiber Art Installation
This time-based piece was created over 4 days by 100 people using 1,000,000 inches of yarn at the 2024 Phish Studies Conference as part of the On the Wind and Underwater Art exhibit.
Attendees were invited to engage with the piece by wrapping, tying, braiding and looping materials. Not only was it a commentary on our interconnectedness but it also highlighted conservation efforts on the Oregon coast.
Tippan Phasuk
"Mycelium" Interdisciplinary Musical Suite
Developed through direct collaboration with scientists, this piece features nine musicians, visual projections, and dance, inspired by fungi and plankton research. It translates ecological concepts into sound, movement, and imagery, allowing audiences to experience science emotionally and viscerally.
Mycelium was performed twice with a nine-piece ensemble, dancer, and visual projections at the Jazz Gallery in New York City on June 26, 2024. The 75-minute performances were both sold out. Each was followed by a Q&A with the lead artists, plankton scientist Alejandro Damian Serrano from Kelly Sutherland’s lab at the University of Oregon, mycologist Bitty Roy from the University of Oregon, and the audience. The work has since been further developed with a dramaturg and theatre director and choreographed for three dancers.
Lisa Cox
"Dance Your Science" Afterschool Workshops
The project produced an innovative fusion of science education and the performing arts through the creation of new 30 minute and one-hour dance-based workshops that highlight coastal environmental priorities. These workshops were designed to engage teens who are traditionally excluded from STEM pathways, by using dance and music to make science both accessible and fun. The project was held over the course of 6 workshops where 80 students participated.
"Students are not only learning key scientific concepts but also building confidence, expressing themselves artistically, and seeing science as something they can connect with and succeed in," says Cox. "This opportunity has affirmed the value of integrating the arts into science education and has inspired us to continue growing the program."
Dong Lin
"Coastal Microstructures Unveiled: Transforming Oregon's Nature into 3D Art"
This work explores bio-inspired design through the microstructures of shells collected from the Oregon coast. As part of the project, Manufacturing Engineering (MFGE) students participated in a group trip to the coast to gather shell samples. Back in the lab, they studied the shells’ microscopic structures and used Computer-aided design (CAD) software to create five different art replications that mimic these natural patterns. The designs were then produced as 3D-printed structures, translating microscopic biological forms into large-scale physical objects.
The project was later implemented into the Oregon State University MFGE course: Introduction to 3D Printing as the final project on bio-inspired printing. The scarcity of widely accessible, high-resolution images of shells and crustaceans for artistic and educational uses makes this initiative particularly significant.