Cornell Art Museum Showcases Sea Captain’s Stunning Artworks

The Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority (DDA) announced the opening of the Cornell Art Museum’s newest art exhibition: "Oceana Phenomena Sea Stories and Sea Level Chronicles” by Jane Lawton Baldridge. The exhibition, featured in the Cornell Art Museum’s NE/SE galleries and atrium, will be on view through September 28, 2024, and is free and open to the public. The exhibition includes:

• Sea Stories: Abstract paintings of Baldridge’s life on the water as a Sea Captain.

• Sea Level Chronicles: Sculptures of children, animals and adults covered in navigational charts to discuss rising sea levels.

• Wisdom of the Waves: International Award-Winning Documentary on Baldridge, which will open on August 2nd in the Museum

“We are thrilled to welcome Jane Baldridge and her incredible, insightful works of art back to the Cornell Art Museum,” said Marusca Gatto, the Delray Beach DDA’s Cultural Arts Director. “Her sea stories are a fascinating window into her life spent on the water and her advocacy for the water on our planet. Our hope is to spark awareness and promote protection of our water resources through this wonderful exhibition.”

Baldridge has a fascination, maybe an obsession, with water for as long as she remembers. She was captivated by watching childhood sandcastles fall to the continued impertinent rolling in of waves and tides. It was but a miniature version of what happens all around the globe. Much of the coastal areas of the planet have reason to watch their own erosion, subsidence and the rising tides reshape their world. Baldridge believes that people who do not go out on the ocean and witness its power and beauty may not understand what happens with the rushing water borne on a storm. These are the things that inspire her artwork.

“My paintings are stories about my life on the water,” said Jane. “Perfect days spent scudding along on the wavelets that reflect diamonds or bashing headlong into waves trying to survive the storm. I am grateful to have an unusual history of waterborne adventures. I want to share my stories and experiences with the audience.”

The Cornell Art Museum is free and open to the public. Hours are: Wednesday 12-5PM; Thursday & Friday 12-7PM; Saturday 10AM-5PM; and Sunday 12-5PM.