Exhibition at URI illuminates art and science collaboration

September 3, 2026
Ocean Tunnels by artist Barbara Danzi and scientist Cora Hersh, Ph.D., Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

The Synergy Project returns to Studio Blue at Narragansett Bay Campus

September 3, 2026

Art League RI and the University of Rhode Island are featuring the collaborative works of artists and scientists in a new exhibition titled “Environmental Currents: Art and Science Explore our Changing World” from Sept. 10 through Nov. 18 at Studio Blue on the URI Narragansett Bay Campus.

With its goal to communicate oceanographic research to wider audiences through art exhibits and events, The Synergy Project has paired artists across many mediums with scientists since 2020. This fourth Synergy Project group exhibition features new artwork interpreting scientific research conducted at the URI Graduate School of Oceanography and College of the Environment and Life Sciences, as well as the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

AMOC by artist Ewa Romaszewicz, faculty at URI and CCRI, and scientist Assistant Professor Ambarish Karmalkar, Ph.D., URI College of Environment and Life Sciences

Each exhibition is an opportunity for guests to learn about ocean science in an engaging and unconventional way, prompting new conversations about science and its importance in climate regulation and ocean health with communities near and far.

“This exhibition at the University of Rhode Island is so much more than a collection of art and science projects—it’s a story of what happens when creative minds come together to learn from one another,” said Ellen Matesanz, director of The Synergy Project. “At its heart, the mission of The Synergy Project is about creating a space where people from different walks of life can spark new ideas, connect deeply, and uncover fresh perspectives that bring our world into focus.”

The Synergy Project is a continuation of the ideas generated in the original Synergy program, created in 2012 as a partnership between artists and scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Art League RI brought the two-year project back to life to translate science into art and communicate scientists’ research in new ways.

Denizens by artist Marilu Swett and scientist Alyssa Tsukada, Ph.D. candidate, URI Graduate School of Oceanography

The artist and scientist teams represented in the “Environmental Currents” exhibition include:

  • Ocean Tunnels by artist Barbara Danzi and scientist Cora Hersh, Ph.D. (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
  • Blue Atlas by artist Lisa Lee Freeman and scientist Svenja Ryan, Ph.D. (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
  • Ancient Air by artist Laurie Kaplowitz and scientist Sarah Shackleton, Ph.D. (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
  • Overturn by artist Elizabeth Lind and scientist Veronica Berounsky, Ph.D. (URI Graduate School of Oceanography)
  • Fragmented Reconstructions by artist Mallory McPherson and scientist Russell Shomberg, Ph.D. (URI Graduate School of Oceanography)
  • Spiraling Filaments; Interleaving across Elements; and Dynamism of an Eddy by artist Joy Mueller-McCoola and scientist Lindsay Grose, Ph.D. candidate, Professor Kathy Donohue (URI Graduate School of Oceanography)
  • AMOC by artist Ewa Romaszewicz and Assistant Professor Ambarish Karmalkar (URI College of the Environment and Life Sciences)
  • Cape Agulhas Confluence by artist Susan G. Sancomb and scientist Lindsay Grose, Ph.D. candidate, Professor Kathy Donohue (URI Graduate School of Oceanography)
  • Chameleon; Pulex; and Rubrum by artist Katy Scudieri and scientist Brittany Sprecher, Ph.D. (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
  • Denizens by artist Marilu Swett and scientist Alyssa Tsukada, Ph.D. student (URI Graduate School of Oceanography)
  • Resilience: Study of the Leopard Seal by artist Jennifer Wright and Assistant Professor Sarah Kienle (URI College of the Environment and Life Sciences)

“Environmental Currents: Art and Science Explore our Changing World” is free and open to the public. The Studio Blue gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Coastal Institute Building on the URI Narragansett Bay Campus, 218 South Ferry Road in Narragansett.

The exhibition will be open with special programming on Sept. 26 during Science Saturday. A reception featuring presentations from the artists and scientists will take place on Sept. 10 from 5 to 7 p.m. Because of the growing number of collaborative teams within The Synergy Project, there will be a second exhibition at Studio Blue opening in late November.

Read more about art and science at the URI Bay Campus.