Education & Workshops

Bow Seat team members are available to give virtual or in-person presentations, lead workshops, and serve as panelists on topics such as art as activism, STEAM education, and creativity in conservation. We can deliver one of the selected topics below or work with you to develop a custom workshop that meets your specific goals and audiences. Let’s work together >
CREATIVITY IN CONSERVATION

How do artists play a role in communicating science, amplifying environmental activism, and creating space for change? In this workshop, learn how Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs engages young people to use art as a tool to raise awareness of environmental issues and inspire communities around the world to take action for our blue planet. Finding inspiration in their work, create your own art that advocates care and action for the ocean.

EXPERIMENTS IN ART, SCIENCE, AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Tap into your creative side while making marine science art! During this hands-on workshop, students combine chemistry and painting to explore climate change and ocean acidification, a serious problem impacting our waterways and marine life. No art experience is necessary.

“I like doing creative things, and when it is combined with something I am passionate about, like environmental activism, then it really makes me happy. This program was the right combination of creativity and helping nature.”

DRAWN TO DISCOVERY: KEEPING A NATURE JOURNAL

Conservation grows from appreciation. Nature journaling is an ongoing act of discovery—a creative practice of observing, recording, and building an understanding of and appreciation for the world around you. This introduction to nature journaling gives participants tools to begin their own journals while exploring the natural world around them, from cracks in the sidewalks to a rocky shoreline. Learn the basics of keeping a nature journal, refine your sense of perception using a variety of observational drawing techniques, and build on your practice through experimentation with materials and ideas.

MURALS WITH A MESSAGE: DESIGNING AN OCEAN-THEMED MURAL

Participants explore the history of public environmental art; learn about mural techniques, resources, and materials; and express themselves while contributing to the creation of an ocean-themed mural.

  • Students at Collins Middle School (Salem, MA) work on an ocean mural on a campus staircase. Photo: John Andrews
  • Students in the Girls, Inc. Beach Sisters program (Lynn, MA) begin one of two storm drain murals downtown.
  • Students during the Youth Ocean Conservation Summit (Sarasota, FL) collaborate on an ocean-themed mural.
  • Students at Bates Elementary School (Salem, MA) working on a storm drain mural on their school's campus.
GYOTAKU: ART OF FISH PRINTING

Learn about the history of the traditional Japanese art form of “gyotaku” and practice basic printmaking techniques using fish replicas and other materials. Students also discuss the impacts of marine debris on ocean habitats and wildlife.