Why "barrels of sea"?
How did the idea for this project come about?
What is the outcome of this project?
When is the exhibition date?
Who designed the logo?
Isn’t Alaska really far?
How long were you traveling? How much time did you spend in each location you visited?
How was the experience of receiving money to work on a project for you? Did it change your focus or the quality of your work/artistic process?
How did the project (if at all) differ from your original proposal?
How has this experience influenced your future plans/projects? How has it shaped your understanding of environmental art?

Why are you called “barrels of sea”? (to top)
The name “barrels of sea” came up as I was thinking of possible names to title my scholarship proposal. I wanted it to be representative of both oil and environmental aspects of the project therefore I chose “barrels” for oil and “sea” for the environment. After the proposal was accepted, the name barrels of sea stuck and became the website, logo, etc.

How did the idea for this project come about? (to top)
This project came about after I found an application for the 2006 Kathleen Neely Macomber Travel Prize. I had taken an environmental systems class during high school and various other classes such as environmental ethics, natural history and geology during college; my interest in the environment was fueled by field trips to places such as Bodega Bay and Point Reyes and the thought that I could make a difference. I thought back to my experience at Bodega Bay where I was fortunate enough to hear a lecture on the Exxon Valdez oil spill and began searching online for other oil spills. Despite taking “environmental” classes, the Exxon Valdez was the only spill that was brought to my attention. I began wondering about how much the general public really knew about oil spills and the oil industry, as I discovered many more spills had occurred- more than I had ever imagined. I brainstormed with Eric until we decided on examining the ramifications of our society’s dependence upon oil by researching the environmental impacts of oil spills along the West Coast of the United States.

What is the outcome of this project? (to top)
The outcome will be a solo exhibition of oil paintings at the Helen Lindhurst Fine Arts Gallery, University of Southern California.

When is the exhibition date? (to top)
February 26 – March 8, 2007

Who designed the logo? (to top)
My brother, Bryant, designed the logo after I described what I wanted. He drew the logo by hand, which was then scanned and put into a program to make it computer friendly.

Isn’t Alaska really far? (to top)
Yes! According to Google maps, it is 3,143 miles from Sacramento, CA to Anchorage, AK.

How long were you traveling? How much time did you spend in each location you visited? (to top)
My boyfriend came with me for this trip so that we could take turns driving. We’re originally from Sacramento and were home for the summer, so we split the trip into two parts – south then up north. It took us about a month and a half to go from Sacramento to Los Angeles and back, then from Sacramento to Anchorage, Alaska and back home. Depending on the location, we stayed for either one night or three to four nights. For example, we stayed in Lincoln City, Oregon overnight just so that we could make it to Coos Bay, Oregon in time to meet Jean Cameron, the executive coordinator of the Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force. We stayed with family in Los Angeles and Vancouver so our duration there was longer. In Longbeach, we got to follow around the State Lands Commission Marine Division for a day and go on board an oil tanker and container ship. In Vancouver, there was an active spill so we had the chance to see how it was responded to and watch part of the wildlife rehabilitation process. Once we got to Alaska, we stayed in Valdez for several nights in order to talk to Vince Kelly of the State of Alaska Dept. of Environment Conservation Division of Spill Prevention and Response, and people from the Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council, and visit the pipeline. In comparison, we passed by Bakersfield in half of a day, after visiting their museum with an oil exhibit and checking out the oil derricks. It also took us four days to drive across the Yukon to reach our first stop in Alaska. So it really depended on what the destination was.

How was the experience of receiving money to work on a project for you? Did it change your focus or the quality of your work/artistic process? (to top)
Receiving money to work on a project of my choosing was an amazing and life altering experience. Applying for the Kathleen Neely Macomber Travel Prize taught me how to write a proposal, make use of resources available at USC (advisors from the school of fine arts, writing department, geology department and petroleum engineering program), and articulate my goals and intentions. The execution of this project has taught me much much more than I had ever considered; this travel scholarship gave me the opportunity to turn my proposal into reality. Because I received money to conduct my project and because the faculty seemed to believe in me and my abilities, I felt extremely motivated to continue even in times of high stress, sleep deprivation, and overwhelming information overload. I couldn’t let them down because they believed in me. Learning how to book hotels, figure out where to stay in advance, coordinate interviews and visits with people and facilities, then coming back to refocus on my goals has been an intense experience. I feel that it has definitely made my work a lot richer.

How did the project (if at all) differ from your original proposal(i.e. were there circumstances that arose which forced you to adapt or change your plans)? Were you surprised by your findings? (to top)
There were slight differences between my original proposal and the actual traveling that took place over the summer. For instance, in my proposal, I mentioned that I wanted to go visit an oil refinery. I also stated that because of 9/11, I was expecting a little difficulty in gaining access to some of the places that I wanted to visit. As it turns out, I was not able to visit the refinery; however, the other unexpected outcomes of the trip were just as exciting. While we were onboard the oil tanker, we met Vince Kelly (Alaska Dept. of Environment Conservation Division of Spill Prevention and Response) who had traveled on the tanker to arrive in Longbeach. After telling him about my project, he gave us his business card and told us to look him up when we were ever in the area. When we got to Valdez, Alaska, I gave Mr. Kelly a call and we were able to meet him. My interview with Jean Cameron lead me to Burrard Clean Operations in Burnaby, B.C., who responds to marine oil spills. Although we were planning to drive through Vancouver on our way to Alaska, I hadn’t planned a project stop there. There happened to be an active spill while we were in town so while it was extremely bad for the environment, it was a really positive streak of luck for me. Despite their busy schedule and crisis on hand, we were able to visit their facilities. After talking to Ms. Cameron and visiting Burrard Clean, I had to amend preconceived notions from my proposal. I originally proposed to only look at the Westcoast of the United States, but based on my travels, I learned that oil spills and regulations do not stop at country borders. It is a joint concern for all of the countries. Ms. Cameron also recommended that I get in touch with Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council (RCAC) in Valdez. I tried getting calling the contact that she provided but was unsuccessful. While talking to Mr. Kelly and his boss, we discovered that they had contact with RCAC, which they were able to call and told us to drop by right afterwards. At the RCAC office, we met Roy, who later that day invited us to go on his boat and tour the harbor. We got to see the oil barge, tug and refinery closer than when we were just standing on the dock. To sum it up, contacts gave me contacts, who gave me contacts. The people I talked to were extremely helpful and interested in my project and their actions and my divergent experiences are attestable to their willingness to share. I learned that others, like me, wanted public awareness.

How has this experience influenced your future plans/projects? How has it shaped your understanding of environmental art? (to top)
This experience has significantly influenced my life as an artist and as a person. As an artist, it has given me a taste of what it feels like to be a professional artist – to wake up everyday and feel the pressure of a deadline looming over my head, to be solely responsible for the choices that I make in my work, the need to be motivated to complete paintings, etc. The whole process and mindset is a lot different than just completing an assignment for class. There is a lot riding on creating this cohesive body of work for an exhibition and the pressure is astounding. As a person, I feel like this experience has helped me grow. Just being able to travel to places and see things has been absolutely amazing for me since I have never really been outside of California (except to Canada) before. Traveling without parents and needing to plan everything out on my own has also made me more independent. This experience has strengthened my desire to create art raising awareness about environmental issues – to provoke questions, concerns and dialogues through art; it has also made me realize that I need to be able to reach a much wider audience in order to get my messages across.