Kelp! opening reception

836M Gallery presents "Kelp!," an exhibition centered on California's endangered kelp forests co-curated by Josie Iselin and featuring the work of Bay Area visual artists Tiffany Bozic, Ann Holsberry, Ellen Litwiller, Lina Prairie, Laurie Sawyer, as well as Iselin. The opening reception on May 25 at 6:30 p.m. is free with RSVP at 836m.org/kelp.

"Bull kelp is the foundational species of California's coastal marine ecology, and they are crucial climate regulators," said Iselin, author of The Curious World of Seaweed. "Unfortunately, the ocean forests along California's North Coast have declined since 2014 due to a convergence of natural factors and human impacts on the oceans. Globally, kelp forests are critical for biodiversity and climate mitigation, but they are disappearing fast."

"This ambitious exhibition brings together art and science to inspire wonder, activate visitors' curiosity and catalyze action to protect our great forests of the sea. We learn not only about seaweeds but also their resilience, resourcefulness, poetry and magic."

Employing a variety of techniques and media - from drawing, photography, painting, printing and sculpture - the artists, all of them women based in the Bay Area, have devoted their careers to exploring the underrepresented flora of the sea. For this exhibition 836M will be transformed into an immersive environment featuring prints on textile by Iselin, cyanotypes by Ann Holsberry, kelp sculptures by Lina Prairie, prints by Laurie Sawyer, a tondo by Tiffany Bozic and a mural by Ellen Litwiller mounted in the Gallery's adjacent office space.

The opening reception on May 25 will feature chef and author Maria Finn. Before she moved to Sausalito, she worked in the commercial fishing industry in Alaska. Other events include a food tasting, documentary screenings and a policy panel designed to inform voters on matters of environmental concern before election day in the fall.

The exhibition continues through December 8.

Free