Rhode Island Herbarium
Foraged seaweeds and pondweeds are embedded in pulp during the wet hand papermaking process. This is an ongoing art series that started as an innovative preservation and identification method while exploring aquatic plant and algae species in Rhode Island waters. The hand lettering in gilded metal leaf indicates a mix of the colloquial, Google Maps, and Indigenous names of the collection sites.
This site specific and research based project touches upon vital issues surrounding ecosystems in the Narragansett Bay watershed, tying together the natural world with the ongoing relationships between people and place.
“My current research and conceptual motivation for this series is two-fold: identification and recontextualizing seaweeds and pondweeds, and acknowledging Indigenous place names, upholding how all of these sites were the territory of the First Peoples of Rhode Island. The land, water, and its resources requires stewardship from us all.”
Species Identification
I am inspired by the beauty found in aquatic plant and macroalgae species, some living in the waters for a long time, and some originating from other waters and oceans across the earth—having traveled via various natural and human transportation methods.
I work towards correct identification of seaweed and pondweed species, through changing lifecycles, seasons, and locations, and also research their ecological roles and human uses in the past and present. I am continually surprised by what I find washed up through different times of the year. Along Rhode Island’s shores, I do find masses of seaweed blooms and ecologically troublesome species—results of human activity causing an imbalanced ecosystem.
Responsible collecting is key—some problematic species spread very easily, and some spread and reproduce through breakage and harvest. I recommend connecting with your local environmental organizations to gain permission and proper training before collection of any plant or seaweed species.
Resources
A good beginner guide focused on commonly harvested Maine seaweeds can be found at the Maine Seaweed Council. Though Rhode Island is further south on the East Coast, I have found most of these listed species in my locale.
The Seaweed Site, a helpful and in-depth website about marine algae
For introduced aquatic species identification, browse the RI DEM resource page.
New England Water Species Identification from SECONN Skin Divers.
I also aim to understand how waterways and land forms themselves change shape over time, through shifting place names and also biogeography, a branch of biology studying the location of species, in this case, seaweeds and pondweeds.
Indigenous Place Names
I began by gilding the works with the commonly used place names, either of the waterway or closest land form. And although the built structures of coastal Northeastern United States are rooted in White culture, many Algonquian place names are prominent, and the First Peoples of Rhode Island have persevered through centuries of colonization.
Place names reflect this history, and situations where the name changed to Euro-centric names or have kept Indigenous names or their variations, derivations, and summarizations. For each site, I alternate between the Google Maps, local, and Algonquian names to express the complexities and diverse histories in our landscapes.
A foundation of this art series is acknowledging and upholding how all Rhode Island waters and lands were First Peoples territory prior to colonization—Narragansett, Wampanoag, Nehântick, Nipmuc, and Pequot. Following their examples, wisdom, and resilience, I encourage good stewardship and responsibility of the local waters, lands, and living things.
Resources
Learn more about the First Peoples of Rhode Island by exploring:
the First Peoples of Rhode Island Rhode Tour Curated by Katharine Kirakosian, PhD and Tomaquag Museum
Find information on the First Peoples of your location with Native Land Digital’s map of territories
Support and learn more from the Tomaquag Museum, which is Rhode Island’s only Indigenous museum “dedicated to sharing our culture, arts and history from a first person perspective.”
And consider adding a Land Acknowledgment to your presentations, gatherings, and website.
Namcook #2
Site
Place Names
Rome Point - colloquial name
John H Chafee Preserve - Google Maps name
Namcook - Narragansett name
Translation*
Namosh: fish
Cook: a neck of land, fishing place
*Huden, John Charles, “Indian place names of New England.” Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, 1962, New York
Seaweed
Grateloupia turuturu Yamada - scientific name **
Red algae, Devil's Tongue Weed - common name, English **
Indigenous range - Pacific Ocean near Japan **
Habitat - tidal pools, shallow water down to 2m, attached to firm surfaces, unable to survive very cold water ***
Distributional methods - spores released in ballast water discharge ***
Status in Rhode Island - marine invader***
Notes
First found in Narragansett Bay, RI in 1996. Reproduces by spores, and detached blades that attach on hard surface. In Narragasett Bay, it maybe replacing the native Chondrus crispus, a red algae and winter food source for winter food source for snails and other invertebrates. Similar species is Palmaria palmata, common name dulse which has thicker, more leathery blades. G. turuturu feels slippery and gelatinous.***
**AlgaeBase, algaebase.org
***Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, Guide to Marine Invaders in RI Coastal Waters
May Babcock, Rhode Island Herbarium (Series of over 40), 12” x 17”, 2018 - Present. Artist-made paper (from linen rag, artist-grown flax, abaca, cotton paper waste), seaweed, pondweed, gilded metal leaf
Exhibited at:
T.F. Green Airport, Providence, RI
Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, MA
Chandler Gallery, Montpelier, VT
Worlds Fair Gallery, Providence RI
Hamilton Gallery, Salve Regina University, Newport RI
City Hall Gallery, Providence, RI