KINGSTON, R.I. – September 17, 2013 — The Visual Arts Sea Grant program will host a marine and coastal art exhibition at the University of Rhode Island’s Main Gallery from Oct. 3 to 31 to celebrate its 25th year of supporting New England artists. The opening reception will be held Oct. 3 from 4 to 6 p.m. and will feature 19 artists from New York to Maine, whose work explores aspects of the marine environment and coastal heritage.

The exhibition is dedicated to the memory of former Rhode Island Sea Grant Director Scott Nixon and Robert Rohm, URI professor emeritus of art, who collaborated to create the Visual Arts Sea Grant program in 1988, which has since supported more than 35 artists from the New England region. The various projects funded over the years have included photography, paintings, sculptures, videos, and a variety of other visual mediums that demonstrate multiple dimensions and perspectives on the ocean and coastal landscapes.

“If we were going to have a visual arts program, I wanted it to be one that attracted and helped serious artists whose work would challenge our perceptions of the coast in a constructive way,” said Scott Nixon in 1998 in an introductory note celebrating the program’s tenth anniversary. “My hope was to support concepts that are stimulating and provocative.”

Robert Rohm, along with colleague Gary Richman, supported and helped implement this vision, fostering a partnership between Rhode Island Sea Grant and the University of Rhode Island’s Fine Art Department.

Featured artists will be available for an informal discussion at the opening reception, which is free and open to the public.

The gallery is open Monday to Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. To receive more information and to RSVP for the opening, please contact Barbara Pagh at blpagh@mail.uri.edu or Meredith Haas at mmhaas@mail.uri.edu.