THE FRANS LANTING STUDIO ANNOUNCES
BAY OF LIFE: FROM WIND TO WHALES
an exhibition by Frans Lanting and Chris Eckstrom
Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz, CA
January 19–April 30, 2023
The Frans Lanting Studio is pleased to announce Bay of Life: From Wind to Whales, a new exhibition by Frans Lanting and Chris Eckstrom that brings land and sea together for a unified view of Monterey Bay. The exhibition will be on view at the Museum of Art and History in Santa Cruz, CA, from January 19–April 30, 2023.
“To us, Monterey Bay is one of earth’s natural crown jewels,” Frans Lanting and Chris Eckstrom state. “We know of no other place in the world where land and sea interact in such an extraordinary way.”
Monterey Bay is a place of giants, from redwood forests on land to whales offshore. But a century ago, demand for natural resources had stripped the land of trees and depleted the sea of marine mammals and fish. That ecological collapse has been reversed in our time. Bay of Life celebrates a remarkable recovery which shows that damaged ecosystems can be restored when people care and take action together. That may offer a model for other places at a time when we need such stories of hope as we face new challenges of resource stewardship, habitat connectivity, and impacts from climate change.
This exhibition is a centerpiece of Lanting and Eckstrom’s Bay of Life Project, which connects art and conservation through education and engagement with local partners. The Project includes a book as well as programs produced in collaboration with the Santa Cruz County Office of Education and others. Visit BayofLife.net to learn more.
“We’re excited to share this important new work from Frans and Chris,” said Robb Woulfe, Executive Director of the MAH. “The images and stories provide a space to engage in a dialogue about the interdependency of people and nature, while at the same time showcasing the region’s unique natural diversity.”
The exhibition is sponsored by Bay Photo, with additional support provided by The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Frans Lanting has been hailed as one of the great nature photographers of our time. His influential work appears in publications and exhibitions around the world. Lanting’s books include Into Africa, LIFE, Jungles, Eye to Eye, and Okavango. Lanting is an ambassador for the World Wildlife Fund and has received numerous awards for his work, including the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year’s first Lifetime Achievement Award. His Royal Highness Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands inducted Frans Lanting as a Knight in the Royal Order of the Golden Ark, that country’s highest conservation honor.
Chris Eckstrom is a writer, editor, and videographer. She is the author of Forgotten Edens, and as a staff writer she contributed to many books published by the National Geographic Society. She earned a Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award for Best Magazine Article on Foreign Travel for her National Geographic Traveler story “The Last Real Africa.” The editor of Lanting’s books, she has also produced stories for the National Geographic Channel.
To learn more about the Bay of Life Project go to: http://www.BayofLife.net
ABOUT THE MAH
The MAH is a thriving community gathering place that offers rotating art and history exhibitions, visual and performing artworks, public festivals, education and outreach programs, and cultural celebrations in collaboration with its many partners.