NAPLES, FLA.- Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum, opened Pam Longobardi: Ocean Gleaning on Saturday, December 18. Longobardi utilizes found ocean plastics as her primary source material, arranging hundreds of plastic pieces into meticulous wall-mounted artworks or turning them into monumental floor-based sculptures. The exhibition, featuring thought-provoking works of art that shed an unflinching light on the effects of global consumption on the natural world, will be on view through July 24.

“Our theme throughout the 2021-22 season is Esprit de Corps, and Ocean Gleaning reminds us of how we can each do our part to collectively protect our natural resources,” said CEO and President Kathleen van Bergen. “The works of art are beautiful and alluring: Upon closer inspection they reveal what they are made of, and then ask us to think about the crisis taking place in our oceans.”

Museum Director and Chief Curator Courtney McNeil said she hopes Longobardi’s work will inspire visitors to be more cognizant of the effects of our consumption and lifestyle on the planet as a whole, but especially the oceans, and to do what they can to stem the tide of plastic pollution. “These monumental works of art are just a small part of Longobardi’s artistic practice, which also includes a deep commitment to community engagement, education and advocacy for environmental causes. Her work serves as a stark reminder of just how much plastic—which poses great harm to ocean life—is in our oceans at any given time,” McNeil says.

Longobardi, who is regents’ professor at the Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design at Georgia State University in Atlanta, has been working with found ocean plastics for more than 15 years, since discovering the mountainous piles of plastic debris the ocean was depositing on the remote shores of Hawaii. She refers to this body of work as the Drifters Project. In collaboration with local communities, Longobardi has cleaned beaches around the globe—including Clam Pass in Naples—removing tens of thousands of pounds of plastic from the environment and converting them into epic artworks.

“I am interested in the collision between nature and culture,” she notes. “Ocean plastic is a material that can unleash unpredictable dynamics and has profound stories to tell… The ocean is communicating with us through the materials of our own making.”

Pam Longobardi: Ocean Gleaning is organized by Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum and curated by Courtney McNeil, museum director and chief curator.

This exhibition is generously sponsored by Anne and Mark Rubin.

Related Event: Artist Talk
Pam Longobardi: Ocean Gleaning
Pam Longobardi, artist, regents’ professor at Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design, Georgia State University
Thursday, January 27, 2pm Signature Event Space

Exhibiting artist Pam Longobardi presents an artist talk related to her solo exhibition at The Baker Museum, Pam Longobardi: Ocean Gleaning. Longobardi will share insights into her artistic practice and will share the story of how she came to utilize found ocean plastic as her primary material.