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Our Mission
To create a space that highlights art concerning environmental issues such as ocean conservation, education, and protection, as well as sustainability. We believe that providing artists with the opportunity to showcase their work is essential for strengthening the connection between our planet and society.
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Our Vision
To help the ocean be inspiring and engaging through art and restore humanity’s relationship with it.
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Our Values
Creativity, exploration, opportunity, collaboration and education
Our Story
It was 4 a.m. when I showed up to my first UN Ocean Decade conference , virtually, in my pajamas, coffee in hand. I had signed up on a whim, not even sure I belonged there. I was an art educator, not a scientist. But something clicked that morning. The Ocean Decade was calling for the arts to join science in telling the ocean's story, and I thought: that's me!
I became a little obsessed after that. I read everything, listened to every podcast, emailed scientists who actually wrote back. I fell in love with bioluminescence and got angry about deep-sea mining. And slowly, what started as personal curiosity became something bigger, a program, a community, a mission.
Moku Art Studio grew from that spark. What began as a virtual exhibition became a residency, then multiple residencies, then an education project, then a conversation series. Along the way I found collaborators who share the same belief: that art can do things science alone can't. It can make you feel something. And feeling something is where change begins.
Today, Moku runs programs across ocean literacy, land stewardship, and sustainability. We are proudly connected to the UN Ocean Decade, and every program we build carries the same conviction I had at 4 a.m. that morning. We believe in the power of collaboration, partnerships, connections, community and art.
Frieda Verlage
Founder and Director
Frieda Verlage is the founder and director of Moku Art Studio. She holds an M.A. in Art Education from the University of North Texas and a B.F.A. in Printmaking from Texas Christian University, and spent five years as a classroom art educator before founding Moku in 2020.
She wears a lot of hats: artist, educator, program designer, ocean advocate, and somehow they all point in the same direction. Her work sits at the intersection of art, science, and environmental education, with a particular focus on ocean literacy and what it means to build a culture of care around the ocean.
Our Partners
Moku Art Studio collaborates closely with MANGO Residencia, an independent artist residency led by Mercedes Aliaga Pueyrredón in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Together, we collaborate on our residency programs, bringing a bilingual, international perspective to everything we do.