Hertel guides student team to create sail cloth art exhibition in Erie

Heather Hertel, a professor of art at Slippery Rock University, led a team of students to create a floating art exhibition at the Erie Yacht Club on August 14. The artworks were painted directly onto recycled J22 yacht sails, attached to working yachts, and sailed out on Presque Isle Bay. The project began in 2015 when Hertel, an experienced sailor, wondered why she had never painted on sails. The team conducted material investigations to find paint that would stick to sail cloth, ultimately producing nine large-scale paintings. The exhibition also involved cross-disciplinary learning, with engineering professor Louis Christensen giving a presentation on sailboat physics to ensure the sails moved correctly.