Diatoms of the Gulf of Maine

Carly Browdy is a junior at MECA&D, working towards a BFA in Illustration with a minor in Public Engagement. Her work uses illustration to spark connection, bridging people, ideas, and communities through accessible visual storytelling. Through playful graphics and bold colors, Carly aims to create inclusive work that invites joy, curiosity, and creative play into community spaces.

Diatoms of the Gulf of Maine is an educational poster that aims to show the beautiful, diverse individuality of diatoms while also increasing awareness of diatoms’ role in the marine ecosystem. These tiny organisms provide the basis for a healthy ecosystem both in the water and on land. This artwork comes from research on how climate change—a human-created issue—impacts diatoms. I wanted to create an educational poster to help identify some of the common diatoms in the Gulf of Maine by their scientific name. I chose watercolor because of diotoms’ fluid nature in aquatic environments. Ultimately, I want viewers to have a greater understanding of different diatoms in the Gulf of Maine, and their role in the carbon cycle and oxygen production—and to recognize that our survival is closely tied to theirs.