Maui High School students have unveiled their marine-themed paintings at the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary in Kihei, Maui. The exhibit, titled "Our Ocean, Close-Up," features nearly 100 acrylic paintings that show the biodiversity of Hawaii’s ocean life. As part of the project, 11th and 12th grade students each selected a local marine species and created close-up artworks showing key details, combining science and art in their work, according to the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.
Students in Lacey Brandt’s Marine Science class explored marine life through painting as part of an Artists in the Schools grant funded by the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. Led by SFCA Artistic Teaching Partner Maggie Sutrov, the project aimed to help students better understand scientific concepts such as the Cambrian Explosion and whale evolution. “Maggie truly linked the learning and the art, almost making both something fluid in our science class,” Brandt said.
Student artworks inspired by whale fossils and marine life are on display at the Maui High School Library. Created under the guidance of artist Sutrov, the project encouraged students to continue developing their pieces beyond initial drafts. One student said, “In the end he was blown away by his final piece and realized he had really not been done all of those times he thought he was.” The exhibit features detailed paintings of ocean species, with visitors invited to identify the animals shown. A student who painted an orange-lined triggerfish shared he was “pretty proud of how it turned out,” as stated by the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.
