Famous Oceanographer Sylvia Earle – First Person to Walk Solo on the Sea Floor – to Headline AltaSea’s Third Annual Blue Hour

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles is proud to announce its third annual Blue Hour, an event that connects science, culture, and community by combining art and technology to tell the story of the emerging blue economy. Blue Hour 3: The Warehouse will be a multi-part visual experience, with various art installations created by established and emerging local artists along with an award ceremony. Headlining the fundraiser will be famed oceanographer and explorer Sylvia Earle, who has logged over 7,000 hours underwater, as she accepts the Explorer Award. The event will take place at AltaSea’s campus at the Port of Los Angeles on October 8, with doors opening at 5 PM and the awards ceremony starting at 7 PM. Tickets to the event are on sale now. More information and tickets can be found here: https://altasea-project-blue.org/the-blue-hour-2022/.

“The blue economy is a major feature of Los Angeles’ economy, so it’s important to showcase its crucial work alongside art – one of LA’s biggest economic industries”

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AltaSea, together with Visionary title sponsors Air Products, City National Bank, Toyota, and Vopak, will showcase artists and organizations that explore some of the same issues that the scientists and researchers based at AltaSea explore every day in their labs at AltaSea. The annual fundraiser helps fund Project Blue education programs that educate the next generation of ocean explorers and innovators.

“The blue economy is a major feature of Los Angeles’ economy, so it’s important to showcase its crucial work alongside art – one of LA’s biggest economic industries,” said AltaSea President & CEO Terry Tamminen. “The evening will amplify and promote the benefits of a healthy ocean and the growing blue economy, as well as help educate the next generation on ocean exploration and conservation through the powerful medium of art. We could not be more pleased to be able to honor one of the most legendary oceanographers of all time, Sylvia Earle, whose career has paved the way for generations of ocean explorers.”

Often called “Her Deepness” for the record number of hours she spent exploring underwater, Sylvia Earle’s career has pioneered research on marine ecosystems through her exploration and the development of technologies for accessing the deep sea and other remote environments. Earle is a former chief scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the first female to hold that position. Earle’s accomplishments include being named Time Magazine’s inaugural “Hero for the Planet,” a Library of Congress Living Legend, and a National Women’s Hall of Fame inductee.

The event will also feature multiple art exhibits, curated by AltaSea Board Member Cynthia Hirschhorn and artist Annie Sperling, that all reflect on humankind’s relationship with the ocean and its critical role in combating climate change. A large-scale immersive installation by artist Taiji Terasaki in collaboration with the environmental organization, Parley for the Oceans, will have its debut. The curated art will also feature prominent guest artist David LaChapelle, along with a dozen local artists and organizations, including AltaSea community partner Angels Gate Cultural Center and Otis College of Art and Design. The local artists include: Emma Akmakdjian, Maru Garcia, Ryan Graeff, Taylor Griffith, Blue McRight, Mason Rothschild, Debra Scacco, Jesse Small, and Annie Sperling.

AltaSea will present awards throughout the evening, recognizing individuals and organizations who have both paved the way and inspired the next generation:

• Explorer Award: Sylvia Earle
• Innovation Award: Pacific6
• NextGen Award: Entrepreneur Educational Center, Inc. (EECI)
• Cornerstone Award: Sandy Bradley
• Cornerstone Award: Kathy Walsh

Pacific6 is this year’s recipient of AltaSea’s Innovation Award. Founded in 2017 to invest in important initiatives that can positively impact communities, Pacific6 has been working with research institutions, government agencies, fishermen, aqua farmers, and environmentalists to help advance sustainable marine aquaculture in North America. The company is leading key aquaculture projects to meet the growing demands for healthy protein and demonstrate how our nation can sustainably grow more of the seafood we consume. This includes the development of state-of-the-art, commercial aquaculture vessels that represent a major step forward for safe, sustainable, and scalable open-ocean aquaculture in North America. Accepting on behalf of Pacific6 will be John Molina, founding partner of Pacific6.

EECI, a nonprofit based in Watts, will receive the NextGen Award. Since 1984, EECI has led an effort to assist, educate, train, and mentor multicultural entrepreneurs and at-risk youth. Earlier this year, AltaSea and EECI launched a collaboration that will open the doors to new career pathways for residents in Los Angeles County’s 2^nd District, including a free series of business seminars called “Ride the Wave: Building Blue and Green Communities … One Small Business at a Time.” Barbara Stanton, Executive Director of EECI, will accept the award.

The first-ever Cornerstone Awards will go to Sandy Bradley and Kathy Walsh, who have both been instrumental in AltaSea’s growth since its founding.

The night will end with dancing and music from DJ Charlie B, whose music brings “happy, disco-inspired dance favorites to the dancefloor.”

AltaSea – a unique public-private ocean institute that convenes and nurtures the best and brightest pioneers and organizations in science, business, and education – hosted the first-ever Blue Hour in 2020, a drive-in experience that included a first-of-its-kind art installation projected onto the USS Iowa, a retired battleship-turned-museum moored on the San Pedro waterfront. Their 2021 fundraiser, Blue Hour 2: Ocean of Inclusion, was held at the Korean Friendship Bell in Angel’s Gate Park.

About AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles

AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles, located on 35 acres at North America’s leading seaport by both container volume and cargo value, is dedicated to accelerating scientific collaboration, advancing an emerging blue economy through business innovation and job creation, and inspiring the next generation, all for a more sustainable, just, and equitable world.

For more information on AltaSea, please see our website: https://altasea.org.