Artist Statement
“As a Massachusetts and coastal resident, it is an honor to represent our ocean through my artistic interpretation in East Boston. As a Colombian, it’s inspiring to connect with such a vibrant and diverse Latino community. I’ve seen East Boston go through a rapid change in infrastructure, and consequently, a social adaptation in its neighborhoods. While change is inevitable and can bring the best to its communities, one thing that is severely affected by this change is our ocean. Coastal overdevelopment raises a questionable factor in the balance of our local ecosystem, as our marshes and waterways are crucial for the sustainability of our local biodiversity. Some of our surrounding wildlife is resilient enough to adapt to the ever-changing human habitat, but we should at least question our relationship and respect to our oceans, and what it means to protect the beauty of our surrounding natural seascape. I invite the viewer to not only enjoy the subject matter as the passing beauty our oceans can offer, but to also engage in the dimensionality of the composition, and further engage in the continuous effort to conserve and protect nature around us.”
— Felipe Ortiz
The Focus
Coastal Development
Take Action
Support local ecosystems by:
• Volunteer with a local climate action initiative in your community, like community farms!
• Reduce your carbon footprint.
• Advocate for conservation efforts, and voice your opinion to your town/city/state government and elected leaders
• (Help your parents) vote for ocean-minded candidates.
• Choose sustainable seafood that is lower on the food chain (think sardines over tuna).
• Choose reusable and compostable goods over less sustainable materials.
