Help us celebrate a decade of Bow Seat!
January 28, 2021A letter from our Founder and President Linda Cabot
Bow Seat was born from my love for the ocean, passion for art, and a sense of responsibility to make the world a better place for the next generation.
After 10 years of working with my wonderful Bow Seat team, our program has grown from an essay contest with 60 entries to a multi-platform organization that has engaged more than 18,000 middle and high schoolers from all 50 U.S. states and over 100 countries.
My years at Bow Seat have taught me so many amazing things, but perhaps the one that stands out the most is the deep knowing that arts creation has a unique and special power. The arts have a capability to engage us where meaning and understanding is both felt and known. It is this beautiful multidimensional expression of heart, hand, voice, and mind that allows for cultural innovation to emerge—to fascinate us and to inspire change.
Year after year, it is striking to see our creative Bow Seat students gain both knowledge of and empathy for our natural world by expressing their talents and deepest emotions of sorrow and hope through art-making. Their expression through visual art, writing, film, poetry, music, dance, and multimedia joins other forms of creative advocacy which can influence culture and shape how we interact, vote, consume, and live our lives in more just and equitable ways.
We are now seeing environmental youth movements rising throughout the world. Young leaders are acting with a wisdom and sense of responsibility that we normally expect from our elders. It is phenomenal to witness this new generation stepping up and taking action beyond the old and failing social and economic systems.
The need to listen to, support, and empower these young environmental leaders is more vital than ever. It is an intergenerational responsibility to these young people who are inheriting an increasingly threatened earth.
To help further advance teens’ creative talents and their passion for environmental issues, Bow Seat has awarded more than $450,000 in student scholarships over the past 10 years. This is a vital part of our programming and one we are very excited to expand. We know that recognizing and celebrating young artists validates their work and empowers them to continue using their voices to advocate for the sustainable future they deserve.
We could not have achieved all that we have without all of the support from our global network of incredible judges, educators, parents, partners, donors, and community members—including you! Our Bow Seat team is continually uplifted and motivated by this powerful community, and we are so very grateful to be doing this work with you.
And to all of the amazing Bow Seat students: we are forever inspired by your creative spirit, talent, and love of the natural world.
Our work is for you!
Check out our new interactive timeline!
Learn more about Bow Seat’s history and milestones, meet some of our award-winning student artists from around the world, and explore special projects and campaigns we’ve been involved with over the years. Click the image to view:
Help us celebrate a decade of Bow Seat!
This is a celebration of all of us. If you are energized by Bow Seat’s mission to activate a generation of creative ocean advocates:
- Tell a friend, colleague, or loved one about Bow Seat so they can get to know our work;
- Follow us on social media and share our amazing student creations;
- Support young environmental artists by donating to our scholarship fund;
- Join us at an upcoming virtual event;
- Participate in our 10th annual Ocean Awareness Contest: WATER RISING!