Art for the Ocean: A Coral Collective
October 1 - 18, 2026 @ BMoCA

Guest curated by Christina Rudosky

Opening Reception @ BMoCA
Thursday, October 1, 2026
4 - 6pm, Free & open to the public

Coral reefs are among the most vital and diverse ecosystems on Earth, yet they are increasingly threatened by warming oceans, disease, acidification, and other consequences of human activity. Although reefs occupy a remarkably small portion of the ocean floor, they provide habitat for roughly a quarter of marine life and support ecological systems on which both ocean and human communities depend.

This exhibition responds to the ecological crisis facing coral reefs through an expansive act of collective making. Inspired by the Crochet Coral Reef, and a global response of community-based coral-making, this local expression began with a circle of fiber artists at Frasier, a Boulder senior living community. From this initial group grew a broad intergenerational collaboration that brought together Frasier residents, students and teachers from Horizons K–8, Manhattan Middle School, Dawson School, West Age Well Center, and members of the wider community. Over nearly two years, participants have crocheted and knitted more than 500 coral forms, while also creating textile sea creatures and handcrafted paper kelp. Together, these individual acts of making form an immersive reef, bringing art, science, and community into a shared space.

This project draws attention to the remarkable resilience of coral ecosystems while acknowledging the mounting pressures they face. Even as scientists work to understand and restore damaged reefs, warming waters continue to intensify bleaching and disease. Yet corals possess extraordinary mechanisms of renewal, creating new possibilities for life and genetic diversity.

At the intersection of art and ecology, Art for the Ocean explores interdependence through shared creative practice. By bringing generations together through art and science, the project demonstrates how creativity can spark curiosity, build community, and inspire a sense of agency—inviting us to imagine a more resilient future for our oceans and participate in creating one.