Michelle Lougee’s collection of tactile woven forms is inspired by microscopic ocean creatures endangered by marine pollution. This exhibit on the main staircase of the Arsenal Center will have a reception on January 17 from 5:30 - 7:30PM. The exhibit is free to the public.
In response to the presence of the accumulated Eastern Garbage Patch (a large concentration of plastic and other debris in the north Pacific ocean), Lougee expresses environmental concerns with one of the very materials threatening marine life: post-consumer plastic bags. Weaving and crocheting the bags in a variety of colors, she produces enlargements of life-supporting organisms: from the lichen and marine diatoms portrayed in tapestry-like wall pieces to her smaller, playful interpretations of individual phytoplankton and zooplankton. A central piece of the exhibit is an enlargement of the honeycombed dinoflagellata, an essential part of the aquatic food chain.
Lougee is an environmental artist, sculptor, ceramist and illustrator. A member of the Boston Sculptors Gallery, she has shown her artwork at many New England museums including Chesterwood, Worcester Art Museum, the Danforth Museum and Bristol Art Museum.
