Blackboard Project

text and scientific drawings of plants and marine life fill a chalkboard

Something I learned about you this week…
Every week students in Art & Ecology Practicum responded to a prompt on a wall-size blackboard in Salish Wonder Room. Students wrote and drew their responses in chalk, sharing with the museum public discoveries from their Commonplace Books. Blackboard was an opportunity to imagine addressing an organism of another species as a subject with agency. Each week Blackboard was erased and started again so that new reflections could be recorded.

chalkboard drawings of camouflage cells, and words: Learn how to adapt to the environment

chalkboard drawings and descriptions of: wolf eel, sand dollar, starfish, great blue heron, giant pacific octopus

illustration and handwritten words: Who am I? I am not a plant, nor a moss. Evolutionary ancient. I am abundant and patient. A composite life form of fungus and algae, I am a silent explosion. I am lichen.

labeled illustration of a great blue heron

labeled drawing of a spotted owl (Strix Occidentalis) ~ 1.5lbs, 3.5ft wingspan

drawing labeled "they called you Devil Fish"

drawing of bids in a nest, labeled: the average size of a PNW Osprey nest is 264 pounds

the words "Something new I learned about you this week..." surrounded by drawn bubbles. parts of other illustrations visible at the edges of the image.

drawing of a squid-like figure hovering over sand dollars. Handwriting says: My communities are self-sustaining; adult populations chemically prompt the metamorphosis of nearby larvae.

words "Lichens are extreme survivors! After a 1.5 year journey in space an impressive 71% of the lichen remained viable!" circled by a drawing of a rocket with the words "I'm lichen it up here" coming out of it.

Labeled illustrations: "Wolf eels lay up to 10,000 eggs at a time. They guard them for all 4 months they are eggs" and "In traditional chinese art bats and peaches are paired together. bats were the primary disasters of peach seeds before cultivation. bats = male, peaches = female" and "you are sea slug that swims (hooded nudibranch)"

labeled illustration of a feather: "Great blue herons migrate north to south, except for a population that live year round in Washington and Florida"

An octopus hugging city buildings, and the words "we are the mesopredators of the sea, thriving in urban areas"

labeled drawing: "Coonstripe shrimp start their lives as male and transform to female as they mature, by age 2"

winged bugs, flowers, teacups and teapot, and the words "I can be poison, but I make top quality tea and honey: Fireweed"

drawing of a seal chasing an eel and the words "I eat a wide variety of prey... but only harbor seals dare to eat me"

drawing of a plant underwater and the words "I am a keystone species. Without me species like otter or salmon would find it difficult or maybe impossible to survive".

The words "Tell me about your relationships..." surrounded by labeled drawings on a chalkboard

The words "You thrive and multiply in abundance. Young seek the old, and you becom the plain upon which you live. You are out of sight, though, and thus out of mind" surrounded by drawings of plant life and rocks

drawing of a deer chewing tree beard lichen, and the words "Lichens play an important role for deer in the winter months, who graze significant amounts of lichens at this time of year."

Illustration of an egg-filled nest labeled "my children lie in bones of trees carefully picked by their father and me"

drawing of a bird's head surrounded by the words "they look out for each other. When a crow dies, his friends will gather around him, much like a funeral. They will discuss the death & determine the cause. If a predator must be sought out they'll mob the skies in a group... also referred to as a murder of crows"

drawing of a tree stump and an owl, labeled: Only old growth trees can provide what I need to survive and raise a family. The forests are saved to protect me.

drawings of moths, wasps and beetles, and the words "I locate insects with ecolocation & worldwide my species loss means $3.7 billion in agriculture loss.". Another drawing of octopi around a cartoonish creature labeled "Little baby octopi munch on phytoplankton"

drawing of a fireweed: a flower like object inside a 4-spoke wheel shape. Words next to it read "You traveled east on the wheels of pioneers"

drawing of a round deep-sea fish with spots and large, jagged teeth. Words around it say "You taught me beauty isn't everything!"

drawing of kelp, it's roots labeled "holdfast", and the words "Don't be afraid to ask for help! Giant kept relies on other species to keep its holdfast safe so it can grow. It's okay to rely on others sometimes"

Several labeled drawings surround the words "think about what we could learn from you..."

several different labeled drawings of sea life on a chalkboard

drawings of jellyfish surround the words "Some of the Earth's oldest beings, lichens are born from reciprocity... These ancients carry teachings in the ways they live. They remind us of the enduring power that arises from mutualism, from the sharing of gifts carried by each species - Braiding sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer"

drawing of a human head making sound waves, and the words "like bats, some blind individuals can echo-locate using clicks"

handwritten words on a chalkboard: You have taught me that borders are meaningless. Gray whales are nomads. They call ten thousand miles of coastline home, braving the dangers posed by shipping lanes, predators, oil exploration, and military sonar in order to find sustenance, mate, and raise their young.

Drawing of the moon over a rain cloud over a river, and underneath a fish swimming away from eggs. Handwritten words say "We don't consider you endangered. Watch out."

decorative words on a chalkboard: Lichens are bio-indicators of clean air. Walk amongst them and hear them whisper... Breathe in

multiple labeled drawings on a chalkboard: bats with words "help us! we are dying from white nose syndrome", an owl labeled "give me some space", a starfish labeled "Not all stars belong in the sky", and a fish labeled "you are molded into the shape of every choice you've ever made"

drawing of a heron on a phone. A speech bubble reads "I'm calling to make a noise complaint." Text under that reads "Heron nesting colonies are endangered by human activity, like construction and recreation". Another drawing of an octopus tentacle is labeled "Are you an octopus? Because you Octopi my thoughts!"

drawing of an eel's head surrounded by the words "Keeping the Salish Sea in balance"

drawing of spherical objects floating above a pile of oval shapes and the words "Your modeling of things initially unseen, and for coming about in the first place."

The words "you remind me to recognize gifts species different from me, have to offer" inside a drawing of a crow holding a box with a bow on it.

handwritten words on a chalkboard: "for being a teacher of resiliency and strength."

handwritten words on a chalkboard: "Bringing me new friends & appreciation for seaweed! Thank you to Marco Hatch & folks from the Samish Nation"

full view of a chalkboard with various labeled drawings on it

full view of a chalkboard with various labeled drawings on it

full view of a chalkboard with various labeled drawings on it

full view of a chalkboard with various labeled drawings on it

full view of a chalkboard with various labeled drawings on it

full view of a chalkboard with various labeled drawings on it

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For advising and information about the Department of Art & Art History, email us or call 360-650-3660.