Coalition unveils 'Habitat,' a welcoming public space

Buzzards Bay Coalition’s “Habitat” came to life Friday evening with the unveiling of the 12-foot-tall public art installment.
The installment comprises seven clusters of steel sculptures meant to mimic eel grass outside the coalition’s headquarters near Route 18.
Coalition President Mark Rasmussen said the nonprofit organization was approached by artist John Magnan to create an art project that would help advance its mission of educating the public and advocating for a clean Buzzards Bay.
“We chose eel grass because it is at the very foundation of the Buzzards Bay’s ecosystem,” Rasmussen said. “The most iconic species in our bay, like our scallops, depend on the eel grass.” The bay’s eel grass has been in decline and its coverage was reduced by 23 percent last summer, Rasmussen said. He attributed the problem to nitrogen pollution, something he said the coalition is working to combat.
Magnan said the sculpture is meant not only to provoke education about the bay’s habitat but also to create a new habitat and public space within the city.
“This installation is of the people, by the people and for the people of New Bedford,” Magnan said. Many different city organizations collaborated to make the sculpture possible, including Horacio’s Inc. welding, Studio2sustain and the Department of Public Facilities.
Original title: Coalition unveils ‘Habitat,’ a welcoming public space
By ARIEL WITTENBERG
awittenberg@s-t.com
December 01, 2012 12:00 AM
Source URL http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121201/NEWS/212010340/-1/NEWS01