The Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM) presents "Persistent Curiosity: Charting the Rippled Fabric of the Sea," an exhibition on view through July 19 that pairs artistic works with scientific data. Co-curated by PAAM CEO Chris McCarthy and Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) Scientist/Artist-in-Residence Mark Adams, the show celebrates CCS's 50th anniversary and features sculpture, painting, drawing, video, and music addressing marine ecology, whale biology, coastal landforms, and working life by the sea. Highlights include Adams's floor map "Global Oceans Seafloor Map (Spilhaus projection), 2026" and Nathalie Miebach's woven sculpture "The Ghostly Crew of the Andrea Gail" (2019), which translates oceanographic data into three-dimensional form.
The exhibition matters because it illuminates the urgent, shared drive among artists and scientists to understand and protect the ocean's shifting world amid climate change and coastal erosion. By placing scientific inquiry and artistic expression on equal footing, "Persistent Curiosity" models a collaborative approach to environmental stewardship, showing how data and aesthetics can converge to foster deeper public engagement with marine conservation. The show also highlights the vital work of the Center for Coastal Studies, a leading coastal preservation nonprofit, and underscores the unique creative-scientific community of Cape Cod.