WE ARE OCEAN Blaupausen has reached the German Federal State of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen). In the fishing port and summer vacation spot Cuxhaven on the coast of the Wadden Sea where the river Elbe meets the North Sea, the artist Till Krause together with the school biology teacher, Birgit Horway, developed a workshop series for students of the Süderwischschule.
“Blau handeln statt blau machen” (Act blue instead of playing hooky): That is the motto of the new Blueprints project of the ocean protection and education program WE ARE OCEAN. The fact that this urgent call applies to regions with and without coastlines is to be demonstrated in a model project at one school in each of the 16 German federal states. The extracurricular activities relieve the teaching staff and at the same time inspire them to integrate blue climate awareness into their daily teaching practice. Contemporary art is and remains the closest ally of the sponsoring association ARTPORT. Small experiments, big impact – that is the proven principle of our successful artistic-scientific workshops.
Hamburg artist Till Krause teamed up with SWS biology teacher Birgit Horway to organize a field trip program for sixth graders to nearby waterways, giving the young people a whole new perspective on Cuxhaven, its waterways, and the Wadden Sea. They have captured their
experiences and impressions in small works of art, which have been on display at the Joachim Ringelnatz Museum since yesterday. Drawings and a video produced by the artist from photos taken during the excursions, a work of art from the WE ARE OCEAN_Blaupause Hamburg
project, are complemented by a poetic exhibition text.
The project came to a festive conclusion on November 27, 2025, in the parish hall of St. Martin’s Church, where all students were invited to actively participate in an open fishbowl discussion. Together with their parents and teachers, they filled the room and actively participated in the discussion round together with artist Till Krause, marine biologist Heike Niemann from the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Wadden Sea Visitor Center Cuxhaven, SWSbiology teacher Birgit Horway, moderated by the director of ARTPORT_making waves and the curator of the project Anne-Marie Melster.
They asked questions that made us all think, and made suggestions for improvement with regard to waste prevention and thus marine conservation: we should consume less, buy goods without plastic packaging, and repurpose or simply swap things we no longer need with other people. Together, they want to write a letter to higher political authorities to bring about better protection of their waterways and the Wadden Sea. They have understood that they have a voice in our system and now want to use it to improve it.
A big thanks to our funders Stadtsparkasse Cuxhaven, EWE Stiftung and Bingo Umweltlotterie!
Photos by Antje Sauer
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To make a donation please make a bank transfer to:
ARTPORT_making waves e.V.
TridosBank Deutschland
IBAN: DE59 5003 1000 1039 8300 07
BIC: TRODDEF1
Reference: “donation for WE ARE OCEAN“
If you are a resident in Germany, please email us your name and address and we will send you a donation receipt
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