‘The unseen ocean is filled with mind-blowing beauty,’ and so is Chase Gallery exhibit of the same name

Horror movies about what lies beneath the ocean’s surface pack a unique dread. Films such as “Underwater,” “The Abyss,” “Sphere” and “DeepStar Six” all depict dark or slithery monsters, hellbent on human destruction.

But it’s all just fake news, according to local artist Meghan Jones.

“There are so many ridiculous articles and scary stories depicting the deep ocean like it’s just an empty desert full of alien creatures,” Jones said.

But the reality is quite the opposite, according to Jones. The former fiber artist turned painter said that she, too, was oblivious to the treasures lying in the deep until she came across a book, “Below the Edge of Darkness.” The memoir by marine biologist Edith Widder struck Jones with its blend of hard science and high adventure.

“The unseen ocean is filled with mind-blowing beauty, vibrant life and fascinating landforms,” she said. “It’s astounding, the level of diversity.”

Instead of barren wasteland, the ocean floor is home to landscapes of three-dimensional corals growing upward like upside-down cathedrals or “just like trees in a woodland,” wrote Jones in a story for the online publication Trending Northwest. “That metaphor resonates deeply here in the Inland Northwest, as we understand forests and their importance, we also understand what happens when habitat disappears.”

Jones’ growing appreciation for Earth’s largest and least explored frontier instilled in her a desire to share her discoveries with her Spokane community and beyond. So she teamed up with artists Kierstin Keller, based in Juneau, Alaska; Nilanjana Das from Corvallis, Oregon; and marine biologist Lara Beckmann from Sweden to mount a multidisciplinary traveling art and science exhibition.

The resulting show, “Unseen Ocean: America’s Hidden Coral Gardens Revealed,” opened on First Friday, April 3, from 5-8 p.m. at the Chase Gallery. The exhibit includes original paintings, sculptures and video installations, paired with public lectures, interactive gallery scavenger hunts and educational coloring pages designed to inspire awe and curiosity about life in our planet’s least-seen ecosystem.

The four participating artists and scientist call themselves the Unseen Ocean Collective. They are bound by a mission to inspire curiosity in others about the mysterious deep sea and to engender a desire to protect it for future generations. Three of them will be on hand to greet patrons at Friday’s gallery opening, with a talk beginning at 6 p.m. After the talk, a group of Eastern Washington University musicians will play an original piece called “Watery Terror,” written by EWU music composition major Chris Cummins, while patrons tour the show. The exhibit runs through April 25.

Fueled in part by a Spokane Arts Grant Award funded by the city of Spokane’s admissions tax, the collective will also host a dozen elementary schools during school hours from the Spokane School District for field trips to the exhibition during its free, monthlong run. After a 30-minute guided tour, the students will walk across the street to the children’s museum, Mobius Discovery Center, to delve deeper into the science of coral gardens. Unseen Ocean Collective member and marine biologist Beckmann will give a hands-on talk to the students and each class will receive a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) kit that was designed by local nonprofit Art Salvage.

“The kids will get a STEAM kit to take back to the classroom to make their own coral garden. It’s the coolest thing!” Jones said. “And it’s all used or recyclable materials, so we’re taking stuff out of the waste stream and kind of saving our ocean at the same time.”

Jones herself serves as a prime example of how retaining a lifelong curiosity about the world around us can change one’s life. Before pursuing her passion for painting the ocean depths, Jones had a successful career designing knitting patterns. She wrote a book and her designs appeared in Vogue Knitting, Interweave Knits and Plymouth Yarn magazines.

After COVID-19 disrupted the work, she pivoted to her new love: the unseen ocean. Jones started listening to “The Deep-Sea Podcast,” based in New Zealand. When a scientist associated with the podcast shared photos of coral gardens discovered in Alaska’s deep waters, Jones was shocked by their beauty. The photos were taken by a vessel sent miles underwater by NOAA Ocean Exploration, the only federal program dedicated to exploring the unknown ocean.

After seeing the photos, Jones suddenly realized she had to paint one herself. She asked permission of the scientist, who eventually purchased and hung her painting in the permanent collection of the Deep-Sea Research Centre in Perth, Australia. Later, when a job opening came up on her favorite podcast, Jones jumped at the chance to apply and found her skills fit nicely.

“I got quite good at video editing during COVID when one of my kids co-hosted the Dragonflies on Thin Air community radio,” Jones said. She landed the job. Juggling her schedule with New Zealand’s time zone has been a challenge, she said, but worth it.

“Yeah, so it’s kind of been a fun roller coaster these past few years,” Jones said. “The arts have been a bridge to all of this for me.”

The Collective has won other grants to take its art and science show to more communities, including one from the Swedish government and one from the British Ecological Society. The exhibition just came from Juneau, Alaska last month, and its next stop will be at the Hatfield Marine Science Center at Oregon State University. Jones said the Museum of the Aleutian Islands and the Deep-Sea Biology Symposium in Bergen, Norway, have also expressed interest.

“The thought and science behind these beautiful works make this show deeply impactful,” said Skyler Oberst, executive director of Spokane Arts, the nonprofit that curates the Chase Gallery on behalf of the city. “The message of connection and stewardship of our natural world should resonate with all ages.”

Beyond showcasing rare coral ecosystems, the Collective aims to connect local communities to the global ocean and foster climate-conscious creativity through art.

“We started this project with art galleries because we were really interested in widening the scope of science communication,” Jones said. “Typically, if you want to learn about science, you go to a science institution, but we really wanted to bring it to an art gallery and just show people that there’s a bridge here.”