Local Artist Brings Coral Farming to Midwest

Original story in St. Louis Dispatch.

St. Louis artist, Ethan Crawford, aspires to plant coral seeds all over the Midwest in public aquariums, museums, and places for learning. The trees he’s growing sprout upside down, suspended from the ceiling, and bear intricate, colorful glass pieces of lifelike coral.

This Friday, Crawford will provide a glass demonstration and unveil his exhibit at Third Degree Glass Factory in St. Louis that mimics underwater trees used to regrow coral beneath the ocean’s surface. While many in the Midwest may not think much about coral, it’s something that impacts the health of everyone on earth. According to the Coral Restoration Foundation, coral?reefs?support more than a million different species.?Plus, around 25% of all marine species?rely on coral reefs,?including?sharks, sea?turtles, crustaceans, and schooling fish.?

Crawford’s dream is to cultivate the curiosity of people in the Midwest about coral restoration. “As a kid growing up in Kentucky, we were told that the reef is dying, but it’s difficult to relate because not many people there are exposed to sea life firsthand,” he says. “We struggle to connect what’s happening to our coral reefs with the destruction of our own food supply here in St. Louis, the increased damage during natural disasters, and growing risks to the health of plants, animals, and humans. Witnessing the coral bleaching firsthand as a diver in 2017 changed my life forever.”?

Crawford has spent thousands of hours using his art to raise awareness for coral. He originally came to St. Louis as an instructor at?Third Degree Glass Factory then began making videos with the purpose of sharing the science behind glass blowing and?raising awareness for coral restoration. Crawford has over 368,000 followers on TikTok?and his dream is to create purpose-driven, interactive coral tree exhibits around the world.

“Social media is helping me reach people I never would have been able to and bring the conversation to the surface about why I make coral sculptures.” Crawford has appeared on TV in Australia and has sold art to buyers around the world.

Interested change makers are welcome to join?Ethan Crawford as he unveils the first Glass Coral Tree at Third Degree Glass Factory, 5200?Delmar, St. Louis, MO, 6:30 PM on March 17th. Find him on?TikTok at?@ethan_glassworks

About Ethan: https://coralglassworks.com/my-story

About the Event: https://thirddegreeglassfactory.com/third-friday/

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For more information contact:

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