Randi Renate, Are we psychic coral-polyps?, 2022, cedar, casein paint, steel, 16 x 20 ft. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Marc Tatti.
Panel & Reception | Randi Renate & Juli Berwald
Open to All, With Regeneration Artist Randi Renate and Ocean Scientist Juli Berwald, Moderated by Chief Curator Corinne Erni
May 2, 2 pm - 4 pm
Free for Members | Free for Resident Benefits PassHolders | $25 Guests of Member | $30 Adults | Free for Students & Children
2–3 PM | Talk in the Lichtenstein Theater
3–4 PM | Reception
Join us in the Lichtenstein Theater at 2 PM for a conversation between Regeneration artist Randi Renate and Science Writer Juli Berwald on ocean regeneration. Moderated by Chief Curator Corinne Erni, they will discuss how art and science can intersect on topics such as climate change, coral protection, and collective action. A reception will follow at 3 PM to celebrate the installation of Randi Renate’s outdoor sculpture, Are we psychic coral-polyps?, 2022, as part of Regeneration: Long Island’s History of Ecological Art and Care.
Advance registration is recommended. Limited spaces will be available at the door.
About Are we psychic coral-polyps?, 2022
Presented in the Parrish’s North Meadow as part of Regeneration, Randi Renate’s large-scale installation Are we psychic coral-polyps?, 2022, is inspired by the anatomy and symbiotic existence of coral polyps. The cedar-clad hollow sculpture serves as a space for collective gathering and learning, and invites viewers to reflect on the interconnectedness of all living beings. The artwork is a response to the climate crisis, symbolizing the cooperative mode of thriving of coral colonies and offering a potential model for slowing global warming and repairing the damage done to the planet. The sculpture was part of the 2022 Devra Freelander Artist Fellowship at Socrates Sculpture Park.
About the Panelists
Randi Renate is a multidisciplinary artist whose background in biology and oceanography informs her research-based practice. Operating across installation, sculpture, drawing, and field work, she uses a sculptural framework to explore how ecological, cognitive, and architectural systems are interwoven. Her practice investigates our embodied relationships across species and symbiotic communities in service to oceanic consciousness and environmental advocacy.
Juli Berwald is an ocean scientist and science writer based in Austin, Texas. She is the author of the science memoir “Spineless: The Science of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing a Backbone” and “Life on the Rocks: Building a Future for Coral Reefs,” a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize. Berwald’s work has appeared in The New York Times, National Geographic, Texas Monthly, Nautilus, and more. She is also the President of Tela Coral, a non-profit working to understand a resilient coral reef in Honduras.
About the Exhibition
Regeneration: Long Island’s History of Ecological Art and Care (February 22–June 14, 2026) showcases works that emerge from the convergence of ecological art, environmental action, and community collaboration. The exhibition presents eleven intergenerational artists with strong ties to Long Island and New York—including Scott Bluedorn, Jeremy Dennis (Shinnecock), Sasha Fishman, Maya Lin, Tucker Marder, Mamoun Nukumanu, Randi Renate, Cindy Pease Roe, Sara Siestreem (Hanis Coos), Alan Sonfist, and Michelle Stuart—whose works stem from an active involvement with the environmental challenges that impact the East End. Addressing rising sea levels, depleted natural habitats, and ocean pollution, the artists in Regeneration approach these issues from a place of curiosity, hope, and shared responsibility, ultimately modeling restorative ways of engaging with our ecosystems.
Regeneration is part of the Museum’s USA250: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, a year-long program organized in response to the United States’ semiquincentennial in 2026. The USA250 exhibition series will reflect on the nation’s history and founding values, examine our present moment, and imagine new ways of moving forward, while recognizing the contributions of regional artists to the broader landscape of American art and culture. Responding to language in the Declaration of Independence that states “life” as one of the inalienable rights, Regeneration explores our responsibility to the various forms of life that sustain us.
Regeneration is co-organized by Scout Hutchinson, The FLAG Art Foundation Associate Curator of Contemporary Art, and Corinne Erni, The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Chief Curator of Art and Education.
Exhibition Support
Regeneration: Long Island’s History of Ecological Art and Care is made possible, in part, thanks to the generous support of Lois Whitman-Hess and Eliot Hess; the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation; Sandy and Stephen Perlbinder; and the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.
We are also grateful to Cristin Tierney Gallery, New York, for their in-kind support.
The Parrish Art Museum’s programs are made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and by the property taxpayers from the Southampton School District and the Tuckahoe Common School District.
Panel & Reception | Randi Renate & Juli Berwald
Open to All, With Regeneration Artist Randi Renate and Ocean Scientist Juli Berwald, Moderated by Chief Curator Corinne Erni
May 2, 2 pm - 4 pm
Free for Members | Free for Resident Benefits PassHolders | $25 Guests of Member | $30 Adults | Free for Students & Children
2–3 PM | Talk in the Lichtenstein Theater
3–4 PM | Reception
Join us in the Lichtenstein Theater at 2 PM for a conversation between Regeneration artist Randi Renate and Science Writer Juli Berwald on ocean regeneration. Moderated by Chief Curator Corinne Erni, they will discuss how art and science can intersect on topics such as climate change, coral protection, and collective action. A reception will follow at 3 PM to celebrate the installation of Randi Renate’s outdoor sculpture, Are we psychic coral-polyps?, 2022, as part of Regeneration: Long Island’s History of Ecological Art and Care.
Advance registration is recommended. Limited spaces will be available at the door.
About Are we psychic coral-polyps?, 2022
Presented in the Parrish’s North Meadow as part of Regeneration, Randi Renate’s large-scale installation Are we psychic coral-polyps?, 2022, is inspired by the anatomy and symbiotic existence of coral polyps. The cedar-clad hollow sculpture serves as a space for collective gathering and learning, and invites viewers to reflect on the interconnectedness of all living beings. The artwork is a response to the climate crisis, symbolizing the cooperative mode of thriving of coral colonies and offering a potential model for slowing global warming and repairing the damage done to the planet. The sculpture was part of the 2022 Devra Freelander Artist Fellowship at Socrates Sculpture Park.
About the Panelists
Randi Renate is a multidisciplinary artist whose background in biology and oceanography informs her research-based practice. Operating across installation, sculpture, drawing, and field work, she uses a sculptural framework to explore how ecological, cognitive, and architectural systems are interwoven. Her practice investigates our embodied relationships across species and symbiotic communities in service to oceanic consciousness and environmental advocacy.
Juli Berwald is an ocean scientist and science writer based in Austin, Texas. She is the author of the science memoir “Spineless: The Science of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing a Backbone” and “Life on the Rocks: Building a Future for Coral Reefs,” a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize. Berwald’s work has appeared in The New York Times, National Geographic, Texas Monthly, Nautilus, and more. She is also the President of Tela Coral, a non-profit working to understand a resilient coral reef in Honduras.
About the Exhibition
Regeneration: Long Island’s History of Ecological Art and Care (February 22–June 14, 2026) showcases works that emerge from the convergence of ecological art, environmental action, and community collaboration. The exhibition presents eleven intergenerational artists with strong ties to Long Island and New York—including Scott Bluedorn, Jeremy Dennis (Shinnecock), Sasha Fishman, Maya Lin, Tucker Marder, Mamoun Nukumanu, Randi Renate, Cindy Pease Roe, Sara Siestreem (Hanis Coos), Alan Sonfist, and Michelle Stuart—whose works stem from an active involvement with the environmental challenges that impact the East End. Addressing rising sea levels, depleted natural habitats, and ocean pollution, the artists in Regeneration approach these issues from a place of curiosity, hope, and shared responsibility, ultimately modeling restorative ways of engaging with our ecosystems.
Regeneration is part of the Museum’s USA250: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, a year-long program organized in response to the United States’ semiquincentennial in 2026. The USA250 exhibition series will reflect on the nation’s history and founding values, examine our present moment, and imagine new ways of moving forward, while recognizing the contributions of regional artists to the broader landscape of American art and culture. Responding to language in the Declaration of Independence that states “life” as one of the inalienable rights, Regeneration explores our responsibility to the various forms of life that sustain us.
Regeneration is co-organized by Scout Hutchinson, The FLAG Art Foundation Associate Curator of Contemporary Art, and Corinne Erni, The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Chief Curator of Art and Education.
Exhibition Support
Regeneration: Long Island’s History of Ecological Art and Care is made possible, in part, thanks to the generous support of Lois Whitman-Hess and Eliot Hess; the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation; Sandy and Stephen Perlbinder; and the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.
We are also grateful to Cristin Tierney Gallery, New York, for their in-kind support.
The Parrish Art Museum’s programs are made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and by the property taxpayers from the Southampton School District and the Tuckahoe Common School District.
