Dr. Katharine Owens will share how she uses the arts to communicate about the pervasive problem of plastic pollution. A researcher and artist, Dr. Owens has spent the last year creating a series of forty-six life-sized portraits of animals harmed by marine debris. She creates most of the pieces herself by hand sewing film plastic onto canvas, but the largest pieces (including three life-sized whales) are being co-created with the public.
Stop by the Collins Room before the lecture to help assemble one of Dr. Owens' marine portraits. The community sewing project will be available from 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Dr. Katharine Owens is a Professor in the Department of Politics, Economics, and International Studies and Director of the University Interdisciplinary Studies program at the University of Hartford. Her work has been supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Stevens Initiative, the National Geographic Society, the Fulbright Nehru program, and the Connecticut Office of the Arts. She is an interdisciplinary scholar who seeks to merge science, policy, and the arts.
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