Oika: Nantucket

Oika: Nantucket is a multi-pronged Oika Project that began in 2022 when Oika-certified ecologist, Rich Blundell, was visiting scientist-in-residence at Maria Mitchell Association. The following year, with Rich as their guide, four artists (Dena Haden, Dakota LaCroix, Rita Leduc, Robert Peters) embarked upon further individual and collective Oika Research. This culminated in an art exhibition at Maria Mitchell Association that included site-specific artwork throughout the island (see "The Art of Oika: Nantucket," below). 

In 2024, the project continues engagement with the public by expanding into scientific and creative research on ocean acidification and its impacts on eelgrass and scallops in Nantucket Harbor (see "Oika Research: Eelgrass & pH," below). 

As Oika: Nantucket evolves, it realizes ever more publicly how the health of the ecosystem and the consciousness of the community are not only correlated but continuous. 

Public Offerings: Oika: Nantucket is a prime example of how curiosity and creativity flows from science knowledge, into relational endeavors, into public consciousness, into (eco)systems change and finally, into whole-system health. Project offerings have included geology talks, earth story walks, Big History nights, artist workshops and talks, Oika courses and mentorship, ocean acidification data collection, scientific and artistic eelgrass research, and art exhibitions. A percentage of all project-related proceeds (via artwork sales and bookings) support further funding of eelgrass restoration in Nantucket Harbor.