Upcoming Exhibition

"Bert Emerson: Right Whale Extinction"

Jan. 22 to Feb. 18, 2026

Public reception and gallery talk: 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22

“Bert Emerson: Right Whale Extinction” is an interactive sculptural installation exploring the fate of the North Atlantic right whale. In this exhibit, Emerson responds to the environmental destruction caused by humans with technology.

Right whales are critically endangered, with less than 370 remaining, and experts predict this species will become functionally extinct by 2035. The right whale’s greatest threats are entanglements in fishing gear and vessel strikes by boats and ships.

Their survival is dire. Swimming along our coastline for more than a millennium, this magnificent creature is an icon of New England culture. In what would be a loss beyond words, this species now faces potential extinction in our lifetime, a devastating impact to the ocean’s biodiversity.

Visitors to the exhibition will encounter a life-sized representation of a right whale that Emerson modifies through "technology" to defend against human aggression. This work raises awareness of the seriousness of this ongoing tragedy, exploring humankind’s mistreatment of the natural world and the vulnerable state of local and global ecosystems.

Emerson is a graphic designer, educator and interdisciplinary artist, using interactive digital media to create ecological art (ecoart). This exhibition showcases the work he completed during a sabbatical in spring 2025. His work aligns with Salve’s mission to recognize that all people are stewards of God's creation and to advance environmental stewardship and sustainability on campus and in the community.

In one of Emerson’s recent courses, students developed web-based applications to protest human-environmental entanglements and to advocate for endangered species that are otherwise voiceless.

An associate professor in Salve’s Department of Art and Art History, Emerson played a critical role in the development of interactive digital media for companies such as IBM, Citibank, American Express and Adobe. Earlier in his career, he also worked in the pioneering of touch screen technology in New York City.

Emerson holds an MAT from Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA in interdisciplinary arts from Goddard College. His artistic practice focuses on individual responsibility, social action and the role of nonprofit organizations as the agents of stewardship and healing for our local ecosystems.