DEVELOPING THE ART
Developed and realised by artist Joseph Rossano, the Salmon School installation consists of a school of mirrored salmon-like forms, hand-blown from molten glass by artists and makers from around the world, all of whom are concerned by the plight of wild salmon. Working with the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA, the initial forms were created and a method was developed to easily replicate versions of a salmon-like shape using blown glass.
The first exhibition of Salmon School took place at the Bellevue Arts Museum in Washington State. Displayed at eye level, it reflected the population of native wild salmon in the Skagit River, flowing into Puget Sound, North of Seattle. Following this exhibition, Rossano was approached by The Missing Salmon Alliance to work with a consortium of NGOs from around the world to bring Salmon School to the United Nations Climate Change Summit (COP26). After COP26, the art will be displayed in locations around the UK before returning to the Pacific Northwest – the place of its birth - where it will be part of the 2022 United Nations International Year of Glass at the Museum of Glass.
NOVEMBER, 2021
RIVER CLYDE
Glasgow Scotland
Conceptualized by artist Joseph Rossano, Salmon School is an international, multimedia traveling art performance and exhibition to motivate communities to tackle the issues facing salmon populations and therefore address climate change.
Leading salmon conservationists from around the world have joined forces to bring this work to the United Nations Climate Change Summit (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland from October 31 - November 12 to advocate for change and inspire delegates to be bold in reaching their goals. The installation features a life-size school of mirrored salmon-like forms, sculpted from molten glass by concerned artists from around the globe, as well as first-hand video accounts from renowned scientists, artists, and indigenous peoples.
Its impacts will be transformative.
EXHIBITIONS
Since its inaugural exhibition at the Bellevue Arts Museum in April 2019, the project has been renamed The SALMON SCHOOL. Under this new title, the project was a keynote presentation at the COP26 conference on Climate Change in Glasgow, Scotland, in November of 2021. Subsequently, The SALMON SCHOOL has begun to travel the globe on a circular journey, serving as a symbol of hope — hope that, through awareness and community building, we can foment real change.
