From Maine to Mass: 'Kin' the whale will soon be headed to the New Bedford Whaling Museum

In a studio 217 miles away in Damariscotta, Maine, a 10-foot-long whale sculpture is coming to life at the hands of process artist and environmental activist Marnie Sinclair. This whale aptly named ‘Kin’ will be headed to the New Bedford Whaling Museum to join another North Atlantic Right Whale we all know as Reyna the 49-foot whale skeleton located within the museum.

Who is the artist?

Marnie Sinclair has been working for years trying to make sense of man’s influence on nature and its disastrous effects on our planet’s animals. Starting in 2010, while working in Martha’s Vineyard she dived into research on climate change, pollution, and endangered animals, opening up a new avenue for her art. She began to use her art to visually express the many complicated issues that surround climate change.

“My idea was that I could make a piece of art appealing to the audience and then share its story through the description.” Sinclair said. “The art could showcase how we are creating our own extinction.”

For many years she has worked with a group The Time Project, artists coming together to create experimental art often depicting expressions of environmental concerns. They use materials they have never used before to challenge themselves with their creations and bring awareness to the community.

Who is Reyna?

According to the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Reyna is a 49-foot female North Atlantic right whale, who was 15 years old at the time of her death. She was ten months pregnant with her first calf when she was accidentally struck and killed off the coast of Virginia, in Chesapeake Bay. The fetus was also a female. Reyna washed ashore a week later along North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Her name, which is based on the Spanish word for queen, was given to her in 2009 by New Bedford fifth grader Ryleigh Beaulieu.

Sinclair who grew up in Nantucket and loved going to the Nantucket Whaling Museum was introduced to the New Bedford Whaling Museum by a friend who lives in Westport.  It was during a visit to the museum that her idea for the project took root, “I was standing there with the director and there was a little skeleton of the unborn baby in the whale and I knew at that moment I wanted to honor that baby.” Sinclair stated, “It’s going to be free, lyrical, and joyous so people can see it and appreciate the beauty of the creatures.”

She also wanted to bring awareness to the decline of the species, the NOAA Fisheries lists the North Atlantic right whale as one of the world’s most endangered large whale species; the latest preliminary estimate suggests there are fewer than 350 remaining.

How is ‘Kin’ shaping up?

Named 'Kin' because Sinclair wants everybody to understand that we are all family, the creative process started in January of this year, and she gave herself the deadline of May 1 to bring to life the story of this 10-foot sculpture. The structure began with bending and molding the armature from aluminum to shape the body of the whale, the tail and fins molded from wire mesh, and then hardware cloth was hand sewn to form a base.

In a group effect of collecting and recycling single-use plastics, many of Sinclair’s neighbors have been giving her their saved plastic containers to use on top of the cloth to mold the final image of the baby whale. As large mammal emerges from the recycled good mostly grocery store salad containers, windows will be added in order to see inside the sculpture and the different elements used in its creation. Sinclair is now working on finishing touches hoping to have the project complete before her own self-imposed deadline.

How is the sculpture getting to New Bedford?

In May, the museum will be sending a large truck on the four-hour journey to transport the whale from Damariscotta, Maine to New Bedford. Once at the museum, it will be on display this summer in the outdoor plaza.

“The New Bedford Whaling Museum is thrilled to welcome Marnie Sinclair’s sculpture “Kin” to the outdoor plaza this summer. The work highlights the plight of marine mammals, particularly the North Atlantic Right Whale, which is critically endangered. The sculpture is modeled on a whale skeleton in the museum collection named Reyna, who is displayed with her unborn calf.”  Naomi Slipp, Chief Curator & Director of Museum Learning at the New Bedford Whaling Museum expressed “As such, “Kin” poignantly references the critical role that the museum plays in educating the public about these incredible animals. The work will hopefully offer an opportunity for reflection that is emotional and deeply personal, solidifying the humanity of these creatures and referencing their strong familial bonds.”

What other environmental projects have been created by Sinclair?

Sinclair has another project headed to the museum this summer, Seamore the Seal which was inspired by the state of the oceans now saturated with plastic. It is to bring awareness to how plastic makes its way up the food chain and into our own diets. She also has Stella, a lifesized octopus sculpture that is collecting trash which was created from trash that is going to an exhibit in Southern Maine this summer.

After a visit to Cambodia to visit family, Sinclair was greatly impacted by the sight of toddlers standing on top of large piles of plastic, and the community which was inundated by trash. This visit lead her to create the petroleum family — Petro and her kids, Ole and baby Umm, made from plastic food containers, cups, bags, straws, and bottles that were purchased over a period of six months.

Where to see Sinclair's work?

This summer her sculptures will be on display at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford. Along with the Time Project, her art will be showcased in the Studio Without Walls exhibition, from May 27 through Sept. 3 at Riverway Park in Brookline.

"Awareness that we are basically destroying the planet and we have to clean up our act." when asked what she hopes people see in her work, Sinclair said, "As a mother and grandmother I hate to see what we are leaving for future generations, it's not okay that 200 species go extinct each day, we have to do better."

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Maine artist creating awareness of plastics and bringing it here