Rebecca Hooper, who crafts art from old fishing gear, displays work in Newport on Friday and gives talk next week

By OREGON COAST TODAY

Turning marine trash into artistic treasures, Rebecca Hooper’s distinctive creations will be the focus of two events in Newport.

The Siletz-based artist’s exhibition, “Woven from the Port,” opens on Friday, June 12, at the Newport Visual Arts Center, where visitors can see large-scale tapestries crafted from retired commercial fishing and crabbing gear. Then next on Thursday, June 18, she will give a presentation, “Dock to Gallery: Transforming Maritime Material into Art,” as part of the Coastal Arts Guild’s Talk About Art series.

Hooper’s work is rooted in the docks of Newport’s commercial fleets. The rope she weaves with is thick and worn from hauling crab pots thousands of miles across the Pacific. In Hooper’s hands, that same rope becomes imagery: intricate, large-scale tapestries depicting the marine ecosystems the fishing industry both depends on and shapes.

“My work begins at the dock,” Hooper said. “This material does not come from beach cleanups. It is redirected from the landfill or donated by local commercial fishers who understand and support this work. That origin matters. The maritime history embedded in these lines is inseparable from the pieces they become.”

Hooper brings both a weaver’s imagination and a scientist’s ecological literacy to her studio practice. She has a master of science in aquatic biology, and that background shapes not only her subject matter but also the precision in her art. The works in “Woven from the Port” are constructed on reclaimed crab rings and steel, which serve as both loom and structural support.

The exhibit pushes pictorial weaving beyond traditional gallery contexts, and situates the work along the Oregon coast — the very same environment it depicts.

Among the sea creatures and ocean life, one piece at first glance looks simple but comes alive with the artist’s description.

“One night I was on the bay front and looked out and saw the boats on the water, and their lights were creating these beautiful circles,” she said. “I wanted to recreate that image. When people see the piece and I tell them that, they light up and say, ‘I see it!’ and that makes me happy.”

Giving even more meaning to the piece, Hooper plans to donate the proceeds from its sale to the Newport Fishermen’s Wives, a nonprofit that works to further the causes of industry safety, seafood education and family support.

Hooper sees her work as translation — maritime material rendered into images of the living systems that sustained it.

“The commercial fishing industry and the marine environment exist in real tension.” she said. “I do not try to resolve that tension. I hold it.”

The exhibition opens with a reception on Friday from 5 to 7 p.m., featuring live music, refreshments and a talk with the artist at 5:30 p.m.

Then next Thursday, Hooper will discuss the evolution of her business, Gypsea Weaver Studio, which began by producing functional rope creations such as doormats, baskets and jellyfish sculptures. Over time, she found herself increasingly interested in the stories embedded within the material itself.

“Somewhere in the repetition, the rope started to ask for something more,” Hooper said. Her current work explores the history, labor and environmental impact carried within rope that spent years hauling crab pots through Pacific waters.

“Woven from the Port” runs through August 30 at the Newport Visual Arts Center, 777 N.W. Beach Drive. The gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

The Talk About Art presentation begins at 1 p.m. on Thursday, June 18.

For more information, go to coastarts.org. And for more arts and entertainment news, go to Oregon Coast TODAY.