"Weight of the World"
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Provided by: Sea Walls|Published on: January 23, 2023
ArtworkScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This environmental mural by Abi Mustapha, located in Santa Cruz, portrays a whale with an oil refinery on its back, highlighting the ways in which our actions on land impact the oceans and everything that lives there.
- This mural is part of a series of public artworks that draw attention to marine environmental issues.
Subjects: Biology, Visual and Performing Arts
Authors: Sea Walls
Region: North America, USA - West, United States, Global, California
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This resource includes an artist statement with more information about the background of the artwork, the colors used, and photographs of the artist creating the mural.
- The image may inspire students and connect with their passion for animals or the environment.
Prerequisites
- It may help to locate Santa Cruz on the map in the "Finding this Mural" section, and provide background information on whales in the Santa Cruz area.
- It is important for students to know what an oil refinery is and about the environmental impacts of the oil industry.
Differentiation & Implementation
- This searchable database of photographs showing ocean habitats may help provide background information on these marine habitats and the impact that climate change is having on the plants and animals within them.
- Students may be paired up to select one of the 450+ murals that are a part of the Sea Walls series and can report back to the class on the focus and impact of the chosen mural.
- Put students in groups and ask them to compare artist's methods of addressing environmental issues, also using this mural depicting threatened marine mammals or this watercolor and pencil piece illustrating ocean acidification's impact on marine species.
- Ask students to create their own piece of art depicting the environmental impacts of energy usage, ocean pollution, or their own ideas about conservation.
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About the Partner Provider
PangeaSeed Foundation
PangeaSeed Foundation is a globally engaged nonprofit organization acting at the intersection of culture and environmentalism to further the conservation of our oceans. Its mission is to empower individuals and communities to create meaningful environmental change for the oceans by raising public awareness of critical environmental issues through SCIENCE, EDUCATION, and ARTIVISM (S.E.A.). Through their groundbreaking Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans public art program, PangeaSeed Foundation has created over 400 educational ocean advocacy murals in 17 countries, bringing the ocean into streets across the globe.
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
