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, in Glasgow in November 2021, Salmon School is being displayed as part of the Queen's Jubilee in the Ballroom at Balmoral Castle between April 1st and August 2nd, 2022. It will then be in St Margret’s Church, Braemar, Scotland from the middle of August to the end of October 2022. In late 2023 after being displayed in locations around the UK Salmon School will return to the Pacific Northwest—the place of its birth—where it will be an ambassador for the United Nations Decade of the Ocean and the 2022 United Nations International Year of Glass at the Museum of Glass.
EDUCATION THROUGH CITIZEN SCIENCE
As part of Salmon School, local communities and schools have been engaged through education initiatives that blend natural history, art, and modern scientific methods, to craft a story unique to a region’s indigenous salmon population. Utilizing a Citizen Science Workshop template, participants learn how to survey the habitat and fish populations of their local rivers and collect eDNA samples that provide a genetic snapshot of the health of the salmonid species and their environment.
AN INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
Through the power of art and community, Salmon School has brought people together from across the globe motivated by the plight of wild salmon and their role as an indicator of larger climate change conditions. As Salmon School migrates around the world, this community of scientists, activists, and artists advocating for change grows. Every member helps tell the story of salmon and helps inspire all of us to address climate change.
JOIN THE SCHOOL
Salmon School is a unique human ecosystem made up of diverse stakeholders all working in concert to ensure wild salmon and the rivers they call home are here and healthy for generations to come. We’re actively seeking politicians, philanthropists, NGOs, educators, and Indigenous people concerned about our salmon to join Salmon School and help us advance this important work.
