The expanse of the sky, the vastness of the ocean, and the place where these two worlds meet have captured the human imagination for thousands of years. From children’s drawings of beach scenes to Vincent van Gogh’s swirling night skies and Winslow Homer’s roiling waves, artists have long looked upward and outward for inspiration. Across cultures and generations, sea and sky spark wonder, offer comfort, inspire adventure, and remind us of our small place within the universe.
Stardust and Saltwater: Visions of Sea and Sky brings together works from Fuller Craft Museum’s permanent collection that reflect this enduring connection to the natural world. Spanning multiple media and creative approaches, these objects explore the skies above, the mysteries of our oceans, and the liminal space where water and air meet. Some artists — Eddie Dominguez, Arline Fisch, and Silas Kopf, for example — represent these subjects through recognizable imagery. Others, such as Elizabeth James Perry and Kyoko Tonegawa, evoke the qualities of sea and sky through material, form, and technique.
The exhibition’s title also suggests a deeper, organic connection. The elements forged in stars, along with the water and salts essential to life, are part of our own physical makeup. In this sense, these collection objects are portraits of ourselves — reminders that we are not separate from the natural world, but fundamentally part of it.
Stardust and Saltwater: Visions of Sea and Sky was made possible by the Jonathan Leo Fairbanks Exhibition Fund.
Image: David Groth, Mollusk 2, 2000.
Photo: Will Howcroft