ROCKLAND, Maine — The Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership is working to get Mainers to think about how their actions impact the environment.
The center's mission is to give future leaders the tools to solve environmental problems.
This summer, artists at the center are showcasing how both disciplines influence our understanding of the world around us through the CONVERGENCE: Art Meets Science initiative.
Brenda Free is one of more than 40 artists who took part in the initiative and had the opportunity to capture the essence of the 125-acre Hurricane Island in Penobscot Bay.
"When I'm out on the island I am happy," Free said. "I may be in the rain, I may doing heavy work, but I’m working with people who put their ego aside and try and solve a problem and it’s a rare experience."
With inspiration from the island and the center’s mission in mind, the artists made their visions come to life.
"I just wanted to hold that moment, hold that day, and just came up with 'One Spring Day,' because it just was a glorious opportunity to be out there," artist Susan Webster said.
The artists and scientists involved in the initiative are hoping that through art and science, they can inspire a better future.
"As an artist, perhaps you’re focusing on the trends and patterns of nature around you, and as a scientist, I am focusing on the same patterns and wanting to understand why the world around me appears the way that it does," Dr. Anya Hopple, the science and research director at Hurricane Island, said.
Scientists and artists are working together through this initiative to inspire the communication of science through wonder and curiosity.
"I think that this initiative really is about connections and science," artist Eric Hopkins said. "I've spent a lot of time looking at stuff and wondering."
Some of the artists involved in this initiative, including Hopkins, were also featured in "Art of Penobscot Bay," a book of fine art from the past and present, gathered by brothers Carl and David Little.
"It’s very important what [Hurricane Island] is doing and to add art to the concept, to bring art and science together, I think is terrific," art critic Carl Little said.
Little connected some of the artists featured in the book to the initiative. Now, they have created works that are the driving force behind a better future.
"The visuals of what the artists are making enhance what the scientists are talking [about], that way people have a better understanding of the ocean and how our lives are connected to it," Krisanne Baker said.
The rest of the art pieces featured in the initiative are on display in different locations across midcoast Maine and are available in an online auction.
The auction will conclude on Sept. 28 with a benefit event at Pascal Hall in Rockport. Proceeds will go to the Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership.
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