Presented by Mary Martin Gallery

Laura Palermo- a passionate artist who has turned to art activism as a form of aesthetic resolution for our threatened and endangered species. It all started with a sea turtle. When Palermo first moved to Charleston in 2012, she was fishing off the coast of Sullivan’s Island when she was greeted by a green sea turtle. It was love at first sight! Palermo was immediately inspired to begin a collection of sea turtle paintings to promote conservation. One year later, the enthusiastic artist was SCUBA certified and eager to swim and study these magnificent creatures in their natural environment. Palermo enjoys spending time visiting the Sea Turtle Hospital at the SC Aquarium and learning about the patients’ stories which she shares with her paintings. Laura has also become an educational volunteer at the SC Aquarium and enjoys helping teach our youth about the dangers of extinction. The artist’s growing curiosity of threatened species has led her in the direction of endangered birds. With 192 species classified as critically endangered, there is a lot to learn, and a lot to paint! Palermo donates 10% of her profits from her sea turtle collection to the SC Aquarium Sea Turtle Care Center, and 10% of her bird collection profits to the National Aviary and BirdLife International – as an effort to help provide sustainable solutions for conservation on a local and global level.