Whales Are Superheroes! Permanent Exhibit Opening April 14

The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM)’s newest permanent exhibit,  opening to the public on Thursday, April 14, 2022, shows visitors how whales help maintain the stability and health of the ocean and help minimize the impact of climate change. The Whales Are Superheroes! exhibit focuses on whale diversity in the Santa Barbara Channel, climate connections and the role whales play in climate change. Taking its aesthetic inspiration from comics and graphic novels, the exhibit incorporates text panels and drone footage to illustrate how whales are helping to save the environment. Whales Are Superheroes! is also part of a countywide alliance of museums, the Santa Barbara Zoo, and the Botanic Gardens to present programming addressing climate change (https://www.sbmuseumsalliance.org/).

According to the World Economic Forum, the failure to mitigate and adapt to climate change is among the biggest global risks for our planet, with significant environmental, economic, and health impacts. While international agreements, including both the 1997 Kyoto Protocol2 and the 2015 Paris Agreement3 address global reductions in CO2 emissions, no global efforts have yet considered the importance of the oceans as a carbon sink and the significant ecological role whales play in mitigating climate change.

Whales make a difference by being an important part of the cycle of marine life. First, as they dive down to feed and then surface to breathe, they serve as nutrient pumps moving nutrient rich waters from the sea floor to the surface where they stimulate and fertilize the growth of phytoplankton. Through photosynthesis the phytoplankton convert large amounts of CO2 to oxygen, helping to sustain life all over the planet. Second, whales also migrate every year from nutrient-rich cold water to nutrient-poor warmer waters for breeding and calving, further stimulating nutrient cycling both vertically and horizontally throughout the world’s oceans.

But the story does not stop during the life cycle of a whale. It continues after they die. Whale carcasses are some of the largest forms of organic matter to fall from the ocean’s surface and sink to the deeper depths of the ocean, including here in the Santa Barbara Channel. These are known as whale falls, providing a feast for some 400 odd species. As these whale carcasses sink to the ocean floor, they take with them about 190,000 tons of carbon in their bodies, which is the equivalent of the carbon produced by 80,000 cars per year! These deep oceans are what we call “carbon sinks,” because they trap and hold excess carbon from the atmosphere, and therefore help to counteract global warming.

The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum invites the community to learn more about our aquatic neighbors and how Whales Are Superheroes! by visiting this new exhibit, along with two new art exhibits, an immersive audio and visual “undersea” experience, and a free Zoom lecture by marine biologist Holly Lohuis.

The exhibit will be open to the public from April 14-July 31, 2022. Although their subjects are often similar, each artist brings his or her unique perspective, technique, style, and medium to the work in this exhibit.      

John Baran

John started his art career painting abstracts. Eventually an obsession with photography, in particular, wildlife photography, fostered a new path. His abstract style influenced a transition into creating whimsical and unique wildlife art. He has spent countless hours on land and in the sea photographing and sketching sea turtles, tiger sharks, orcas, manatees, lions, bears, herds of elephants and more. His photography has taken him around the world to places like Africa, French Polynesia and Alaska. All of his wildlife art is inspired by his own photography and his art can be found in galleries in Santa Barbara, Palm Springs, and the Hawaiian Islands.

John has said about his whale paintings, “In my lifetime I have been fortunate to have been in close quarters with an abundance of sea life, none more memorable than the largest creatures on earth, the whale. I have spent hours in the water with humpback whales, and a fleeting 10 seconds with a pod of orca. Floating at the surface while watching a 45-foot humpback whale move towards you ever so gracefully, then turn to its side to get a glimpse of you is something I obviously will never forget.”

On a different note, he added, “Our oceans are vital to the survival of whales, but too often neglected. I have traveled the world in search of inspiration, and many times I have been on boats that had to stop every ten minutes to scoop up a mylar balloon or discarded fishing line. I have seen raw sewage traveling directly into the sea. It doesn’t matter where—Mexico, Hawaii, Tahiti, Alaska and our own Santa Barbara Channel—I have witnessed this kind of pollution in all of these amazing locations.

“My hope is that by representing whales in many different mediums, this whale exhibit will encourage the viewer to take even closer notice of these magnificent creatures and acknowledge their importance to the survival of the oceans, and in turn, the effects global warming.” More of John’s art is available at: johnbarananimalart.com                        

Kelly Clause

Born in Santa Barbara, California, into a family of naturalists, fishermen, and marine biologists, Kelly Clause was raised to love and appreciate the outdoors.  Her images are unique and clearly demonstrate her spontaneity, style and whimsy. Spanning land, sea, and air, Kelly’s work features cards, prints, paintings, and murals of all sizes. She depicts marine life—whales, turtles, fish, dolphins, lobsters and more—and plant life, including palms, kelp, and flowers. With  landscapes, seascapes, animals, and boats as subject matter, her work has broad appeal for all viewers.

All Clause’s featured pieces are done in watercolor on cold-pressed paper. She believes watercolor as a medium allows the fluidity of the sea to be reflected in the beautiful play between controlled complexity and spontaneous whimsy. Kelly’s work spills from her insatiable fascination with nature, and a desire to inspire a similar curiosity and awe in her viewers.

According to Kelly, as she has talked about her work and her vision, “Nature cannot be contained, captured, or defined, yet I always find myself wanting to touch it, hold it, recreate it. Saltwater swells and living creatures alike contain a sort of wild mystery that I believe all humanity craves…With spontaneous but deliberate brushstrokes, I endeavor to reflect a balance of wild whimsy and intentional design with my art. My work spills from my insatiable fascination with the natural world, and a desire to inspire a similar curiosity and awe in my viewers.” More about Kelly and her work is available at:  https://kellyclause.com/

SBMM is located at the historic Santa Barbara Harbor at 113 Harbor Way, Suite 190, Santa Barbara, CA 93109.

Visit sbmm.org or call (805) 962-8404 for details.