The Whale Guitar Visits Ocean Alliance

It’s amazing how you can help whales and our oceans just by using your own personal talents. Jen Long discovered this when she embarked on the Whale Guitar Project. A designer from Providence, Rhode Island, Jen and a group of like-minded individuals–William Schaff, Rachel Rosenkrantz-Riemer and Gwen Forrester, designed and built a remarkable instrument inspired by Moby-Dick and in the style of scrimshaw with the purpose of raising awareness and funds for ocean conservation. We were honored last year when Jen informed us that she wanted to bring Ocean Alliance into the project after following our work. Considering our organization was built on the discovery that humpback whales sing songs, we have always been passionate about the relationship between art, science, and conservation.
The Whale Guitar Project has had some exciting stops along the way, including the recent Moby-Dick Marathon Reading at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, where the guitar was on display and played for those who had gathered to read the classic novel aloud from start to finish.
We were thrilled this week to have Jen and the Whale Guitar visit our headquarters, the Paint Factory in Gloucester, MA, and Jen was kind enough to give the staff an impromptu concert. We look forward to building on our partnership this year with more performances and we thank Jen and her talented team for sharing their time and skills for the benefit of our ocean.