This lecture focuses on the incredible beauty of the marine life and the connection to the diverse culture of Melanesia with an emphasis on Papua New Guinea. Michele’s convey’s the important tie between the health of the ocean surrounding these delicate island nations to the traditions and survival of the tribal communities.

Capturing images that tell a complete story is an art. This lecture focuses on conservation with highlights from several of Michele’s favorite published articles. She details all the steps involved in producing a digital story; from research, making the right contacts, developing the goal and audience to story assembly.

The story of artist Caroline Mytinger is multifaceted. As her passion project, Michele tells the rich story of a woman who did not accept convention and traveled with a female friend to paint portraits of the people of Melanesia in the 1920s. Michele then took her own journey to retrace the footsteps of these women 75 years later.