Multidisciplinary artist Rebecca Rutstein creates painting, sculpture, interactive installation and public art inspired by the natural world. Rutstein has been an artist-in-residence at many research institutions including seven expeditions at sea and two dives to the ocean floor in the Alvin submersible. Her collaborations with oceanographers, ecologists, microbiologists, molecular scientists and geologists foster conversation about stewardship of precarious environments in the face of our climate crisis.

Funded by the National Science Foundation and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Rutstein was invited to participate as an artist-in-residence on board the University of Hawai'i’s R/V Kilo Moana with a science team led by Geochemist Christopher German in January 2023. The group explored the crater of the Kama’ehuakanaloa submarine volcano 22 miles off the coast of the Big Island of Hawai'i and 1000 meters below the ocean’s surface. The purpose of the expedition was to observe evidence of potential recent volcanic activity and gain a deeper understanding of the chemistry of vent fluids and microbiological systems at play. Furthermore, the study of the abundant microbial communities there, which subsist in the most desolate of environments, serves as an analog for understanding the potential for life in other ocean worlds beyond our own.

The PRAx-Hatfield collaboration centers on small exhibitions of artists who have engaged with oceanographic science and observation. Seeking out professional contemporary artists exploring topics ranging from watershed ecology to climate change, the initiative will frequently feature creatives who have been in residence “at sea” or within other institutions of marine research.
 

Rebecca Rutstein