Rebecca Rutstein: All The Stars in the Sea

Dec 12, 2024 – March 2, 2025
SAMEK ART MUSEUM
BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY

Artist Talk with Professor of Environmental Studies & Science Amanda Wooden
Thursday, February 20th, 7pm
Iron Front Event Space
Lewisburg PA

Reception at Samek Art Museum
Downtown Gallery
Thursday, February 20th, 8pm

Luncheon & Moderated Conversation
Museum Director Richard Rinehart with Gallerist Bridgette Mayer & Artist Rebecca Rutstein
Friday, February 21st, 12pm
Elaine Langone Center

All The Stars In The Sea traveled from Philadelphia to Samek Art Museum at Bucknell University in 2024. With a background in science and informed by collaborations with scientists around the globe, Pennsylvania artist Rebecca Rutstein speaks to the interconnectedness of all things in the natural world. These works follow the artist’s expedition on a research vessel where she witnessed the churning pulse of geologic forces on the seafloor.

In Rutstein’s new series Thirty Days (12 of which are on view at Samek Art Museum), she created 30 paintings while on board a research vessel during an expedition at sea with microbiologist Mandy Joye off the coast of Mexico last April. There, Rutstein had the rare opportunity to take her third dive in a 3-manned submersible more than a mile deep to witness the churning pulse of geologic forces on the seafloor. The steel sculptural installation Flow, made of 500 nickel plated steel discs and biodegradable monofilament, was inspired by the hydrothermal plumes she witnessed, and the dispersal of minerals like iron, which flow thousands of miles from the seafloor to the surface, essential to life in both land and sea.

These experiences inform and enrich Rutstein’s desire to shed light on hidden systems in the natural world and make the invisible visible through the lens of art. She states:

“Grappling with our environmental crisis has become a driving force in my practice. And harnessing art to connect people with the natural world has become my life’s work. Art can be the emotional driver to create a sense of wonder, inspire empathy, and foster stewardship. In 2015 I climbed aboard a research vessel for the first time as an artist in residence. Eight expeditions later, it has been the privilege of my life to transform these humbling experiences into visual worlds that can be shared with the public.”

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Flow

Flow was conceived through Rutstein’s explorations at sea and collaborations with scientist Christopher German who for decades has been researching the dispersion of elements from hydrothermal vents – or fissures – on the ocean floor. It has only been recently discovered that trace metals like iron flow far and wide from these vents, their particles being carried thousands of miles from their seafloor origins to surface waters on the other side of the globe. This iron is a key necessity for microorganisms on the water’s surface to live and produce the oxygen that we humans breathe. In essence, we are connected to the bottom of the ocean through this cycle.

By understanding and respecting these infinite connections, we can work towards a more harmonious relationship with nature, a deeper appreciation for the natural world, and a recognition of our responsibility to protect and preserve it.