The Urbana-Champaign Satellite Reef is part of the worldwide Crochet Coral Reef project, created by Christine and Margaret Wertheim through the Institute For Figuring. This global, community-driven artwork brings together art, science, and mathematics to reflect on the beauty—and vulnerability—of coral reef ecosystems.
This local reef has been shaped by many hands. Originally developed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic through the University of Illinois’s School of Art & Design and in partnership with the Grainger College of Engineering, the project invited students, artists, scientists, and community members to learn hyperbolic crochet and contribute handmade forms. Each piece carries the imprint of its maker, coming together as a collective environment grounded in care, creativity, and shared inquiry.
As part of a global network of Satellite Reefs, this installation connects Urbana-Champaign to a wider community engaged in creative responses to environmental change. Throughout the exhibition, visitors can explore documentation of past workshops and talks, and consider how collective making can foster connection, learning, and support in the face of ecological uncertainty.
More about the Urbana-Champaign Satellite Reef
Read about Reef Rebirth: How Engineering Could Save the World's Coral on the Grainger College of Engineering website.
Made possible with support from School of Art & Design faculty members, Jennifer Bergmark, Assistant Professor of Art Education, and Guen Montgomery, Assistant Professor of Studio Art; Amy Wagner Johnson, Professor and Andersen Faculty Scholar in the Grainger College of Engineering; and Krannert Art Museum staff, Rachel Lauren Storm, Assistant Director of Community Engagement and Learning, and Kamila Glowacki, Assistant Curator of Community Engagement and Learning.
Photos courtesy of the Urbana-Champaign Satellite Coral Reef Project.
