HOUGHTON, MICH. – Isle Royale National Park opened a new exhibit early June about the impacts of marine debris on the park and Lake Superior.
The exhibit was designed, curated and painted by artist Mariah Reading and funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program. Reading is an eco-artist and advocate for the preservation of national parks. Artists Adrienne Wallner and David Mainero are listed as contributors.
“Visitors may be surprised to learn that marine debris affects even the remote reaches of Isle Royale,” said Haley Dalian, Great Lakes Regional Coordinator for NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, in a recent news release. “Art is a powerful way to engage visitors in the conversation of marine debris and inspire action, whether on the island or back home.”
The exhibit includes installations such as a hands-on cabinet full of artistic creations using marine debris, blackout poetry and works by Isle Royale Artist-in-Residence. All the debris displayed was collected along the shoreline of Lake Superior by staff and volunteers throughout the summer of 2023.
To see this exhibit, visitors need to travel to Isle Royale National Park, which requires traveling by ferry, seaplane or private boat from Michigan or Minnesota. In coming years, this exhibit will travel around the park and to gateway communities.
Park officials urge visitors to be mindful about preventing marine debris by visiting marinedebris.noaa.gov.
