Shorelines: Past, Present, and Future
Caine Villarreal
2025
Pen on watercolor paper
Click on the images to enlarge.
Caine Villarreal is a Portland-based artist who loves collaboration and community. Originally from Montana, he didn’t have much of a relationship or opinion of the ocean, but now that he lives in Portland, he has learned more about the ocean and Casco Bay and is learning how to better take care of this new home. He hopes to make art that uplifts different voices and brings awareness to different issues or experiences.
My goal with this research topic and art piece was to discover something hopeful. In a world where there is much uncertainty about the future and climate change, I wanted to look for hopeful options that could be steps towards a brighter future. I hope that people leave my art feeling curious and hopeful, curious enough to see if a living shoreline could work for them or how they could help.
What is a living shoreline?
A living shoreline is a natural approach to protecting the coast. Instead of hard structures like seawalls, it uses materials such as marsh plants, logs, and rocks to reduce erosion, absorb wave energy, and support wildlife.
Caine’s drawings reflect this hopeful strategy—one that helps coastal communities adapt to climate change while restoring habitat along places like Casco Bay.
Twenty young artists created art centered on the challenges, hopes, and fears for Casco Bay’s past, present, and future.
What happens when a group of young artists turn their talents toward protecting Casco Bay? A new collaboration with MECA&D brought powerful, creative answers.
