Dive into the expanse of Our Blue Planet: Global Visions of Water. Experience art that ripples out from the museum galleries to the edges of our world, as artists across centuries and continents explore how art helps us understand the significance of water. In response to one of Earth’s most vital natural resources, artworks created in 618 AD are presented alongside contemporary works so new, they were finished in preparation for this exhibition. The more than 80 paintings, sculptures, films, photographs, and textiles on view are drawn from SAM’s collections and loans from local collectors. The 74 artists represented hail from 17 countries and seven Native American tribes making this exhibition a unique opportunity to cross the seas connecting global communities and see how artists grapple with the past, present, and future of water in our world.
Our Blue Planet is an experiment in artistic activism. The exhibition pushes the boundaries for what it means to learn, dream, and engage with art to create environmental change in our backyard and across the world. In entering, visitors are welcomed in Lushootseed, one of many Coast Salish languages, by Ken Workman, a Duwamish Tribal Member and descendant of Chief Seattle, while two works by contemporary artist Carolina Caycedo, Wanaawna Meets Salty Waters (2019) and Gente Rio: We River (2016) set the stage to explore the exhibition’s theme.