This evening I was able to hear Drew Harvell speak about her work with Blashka glass, some of the most intricate and accurate glass models of marine life. Based on what she said and the video that we watched, I learned that these glass sculpture serve much more than art in her work. These sculptures serve are real life models of marine organisms, as they are incredibly accurate. They are used for instruction purposes and to study the lives of marine creatures.

After watching the video Drew showed, I also learned that these sculptures have made an even greater societal impact, even more than helping to educate people. These sculptures have helped scientists and marine biologists, including Drew herself, to explore the depths of the ocean. These sculptures helped provide Drew models of what to look for and explore in the ocean. And in fact, due to these models and knowing that the organisms Blashka constructed existed during his time, we now know that organisms that are now no longer highly populated must have become endangered. Thus, the interest the the Blashka glass sculptures prompted led peoples’ interest to explore the ocean. And this interest fueled more attention being directed toward the ocean and marine life. As a result, people have noticed harm being brought to marine life and have called for action.

I never would’ve guessed that the strong call for marine conservation and that exists today would be partially attributed to glass sculptures created many years ago. Art and science have found a very important intersection.