Community BLOOMS: Katy Rodden Walker 

📍 4:00 to 7:00 PM – Center Street Gallery and Jacobs Family Gallery Balcony

Join us for a special AHA! Night on Thursday, April 10, 2025, as the New Bedford Whaling Museum presents Community BLOOMS: Katy Rodden Walker, an interdisciplinary art and science exhibition installed in the Center Street Gallery and Jacobs Family Gallery Balcony. The entire Museum will be open from 4:00 to 7:00 PM with FREE ADMISSION, offering a night dedicated to the critical conversation on ocean sustainability.

Since 2023, the Museum has collaborated with artist Katy Rodden Walker on Community Blooms, a participatory project that raises awareness about plastic pollution in our oceans and the natural phenomenon of jellyfish blooms. This initiative, culminating in a six-month immersive installation opening November 22, 2024, invites visitors to create, reflect, and take action on environmental change.

🌊 Walk & Talk (approx. 60 min.)

📍 4:00 PM – Meet at the front entrance of the Museum

Join Sara Quintal, Senior Restoration Ecologist at Buzzards Bay Coalition, and artist Elaine Alder for a guided conversation on Johnny Cake Hill, exploring the intersection of art, science, and environmental sustainability.

• Buzzards Bay Coalition: Marsh Island Salt Marsh Restoration
  Learn about the Coalition’s efforts to restore Marsh Island Salt Marsh in Fairhaven, a project combating marine debris and plastic pollution in our local waters.
• Elaine Alder: The Water We’re Swimming In
  Discover Elaine’s creative process in crafting The Water We’re Swimming In, a sculpture made from marine debris collected off the Massachusetts coast. This collaboration between New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, NOAA, and the New Bedford Whaling Museum raises awareness about the growing impact of ocean pollution.

🐋 UMass Dartmouth Ecology Student Showcase

📍 4:00 to 6:00 PM – Jacobs Family Gallery and it's Balcony

In the Jacobs Family Gallery, senior Ecology students will present their capstone projects, focusing on emerging challenges in marine and coastal biodiversity conservation.

Come engage with art, science, and sustainability at this dynamic evening of exploration and activism, celebrating our shared commitment to ocean conservation!