art for our sea

Aim

We're exploring if it's viable to plant a seagrass meadow in Margate (UK), using art to fund much needed biodiversity and climate support.

For all updates, please follow on Instagram.

The artwork / rewards catalogue is here. 

First up, thank you for making it here.

If you've got this far, then you know the good we're looking to create from this page.

If you’re new, welcome. We’re looking to explore whether it’s viable to plant a seagrass meadow in Margate (UK), using art to fund much needed biodiversity and climate support. Hence our name: art for our sea.

Seagrass. WTF? Flowering plants. Found in shallow, sheltered coastal waters. They purify the water. Protect us from storms. Support biodiversity. And are one of the planet’s most efficient stores of carbon. Yes. They're a wonder.

Ok, so how does this fundraiser work?

Donate. Receive art. Plant hope.

Plant hope.

Planting 'hope' for a better future. The funding raised will go towards an investigation into Margate Main Sands (UK), to establish whether it is a potential site for future seagrass restoration in partnership with the marine conservation charity Project Seagrass.

The dropped pin shows where the investigation would begin:

View across to the Harbour Arm and Margate Main Sands (the proposed site):

View across to the Main Sands from the Harbour Arm:

Margate Main Sands, 200 metres of golden sands and its waters, a magnet for biodiversity and local cold water swimmers that this project would support:

Receive art.

Each donation of £29 will receive an exclusive 'Swimmers' A5 postcard by the wonderful @margoinmargate shown below:

Each donation of £99 will receive a Giclée archival grade art paper print from the 14x piece collection shown below: ‘Sea Bathing. A life lived with the sea’.

To choose which unframed print you'd like to receive (as a 'reward'), please browse from the catalogue here.

Donate.

When making a donation of £29 or £99 please select the title of the work you'd like to receive from the rewards listed.

If you'd like to support without receiving an artwork, smaller donations are also very welcome.

ALL monies go directly to the marine conservation charity Project Seagrass.

I will cover all scan, print and shipping costs to ensure 100% of your donation supports the work of Project Seagrass. 

FAQ: Ok, with my £29/£99. Am I donating and receiving a gift? Or am I buying an artwork with 100% going to charity?

Good question. I'd like to think that you care about our planet, even the well-being of Margate. You’re interested in what hangs on your / loved one's walls, but by helping fund a local marine conservation project - the piece gains richer meaning, story and value.

FAQ: So, what does £10K cover?

Well, it covers the initial investigation into the habitat suitability for seagrass restoration. Approx 250 samples will be taken from the sea bed and analysed. Mapping of the seabed will take place to establish suitability. If the area is deemed suitable, the next step is to gain permissions from The Crown Estate.

FAQ: So, what would £20K cover?

In the event that phase one is successful, the additional £10K would go towards the restoration itself. Current area knowledge leads us to believe this will likely be Zostera noltii, also know as “Dwarf Eelgrass”, and is a species we have much to learn about. This funding has the potential to restore 200m2 of seagrass. 

In the event that phase one proves the site is unsuitable for restoration we would endeavour to use the additional £10K raised to enhance a project as close to the site as possible - 30 miles north at Southend-on-sea.

FAQ: So, what happens once the goal is reached?

All donors are encouraged to follow Project Seagrass on social media and to join their quarterly newsletter to receive regular updates on the impact their donation has made.

So. Donate. Receive art. Plant hope. That's how this fundraiser works.

Places where you can discover more:

For further previews of the artworks on Instagram.

For information about Project Seagrass or watch the short below:

Many thanks in advance for your donation, and for supporting art for our sea: a creative response for coastal towns to care for what they hold most dear.

Matt Hardisty, art for our sea (the fundraiser).

P.S. Visit 'Margz'. Turner was right, the skies over Thanet are the loveliest in all of Europe. This is the sunset that inspired this whole project. 13th of July 2022. 9.14pm. And still, 30 degrees outside:

Artwork by Andrea Bowers, 2017:

This project successfully funded on 1st January 2024