Oriana Poindexter is an artist and marine scientist whose studio practice utilizes alternative photographic processes in dialogue with the ocean.

Her current museum show, The Blue Forest, combines cyanotype on textile and paper with an underwater soundscape in a site-responsive exhibit at the Catalina Museum for Art & History.

Artist Information
Available Work

Recent Exhibits

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Art exhibit featuring a fish sculpture on a wall with a stylized wave, a framed artwork of a blue leaf, and a blue curtain on the left side

The Blue Forest, 2025 | Catalina Museum for Art & History, Avalon, CA

Cascadia Coast Exposures, 2025 | Oregon State University, Newport, OR

Recent Press

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Smithsonian Magazine: Stunning Seaweed Prints Capture Life Underwater

San Diego Union Tribune: In the Curator’s Words: At Catalina Museum, San Diego-based artist explores California’s kelp forests

Lenscratch: Botanical Photography - Oriana Poindexter

High Country News: The California artists illuminating kelp

See Great Art: Artist/scientist Oriana Poindexter takes visitors to Catalina Island’s kelp forests

Getty.edu: Capturing the Feeling of the Ocean on Paper

REI Wild Ideas Worth Living: Merging Freediving and Art with Oriana Poindexter

C Magazine: Top Five: The November 2025 California Hot List

Events Back End
Catalina Museum for Art + History: Solo Exhibition
Nov 8
Solo Show
Catalina Museum for Art + History: Solo Exhibition
Solo Show

Join us on Saturday, November 8, 2025 from 3:00 - 6:00PM for the reception celebrating the opening of The Blue Forest: An Immersive Installation by Marine Scientist and Artist Oriana Poindexter. The exhibition transports visitors into the underwater world of Catalina Island’s iconic kelp forests without ever getting wet.

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Solo Show
Closing Walkthrough: The Blue Forest
Oct 11
Solo Show
Closing Walkthrough: The Blue Forest
Solo Show

Join Oriana Poindexter at the Catalina Museum for a closing walkthrough of The Blue Forest.

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Solo Show
Catalina Island: Cyanotype Workshop
Oct 11
Workshop
Catalina Island: Cyanotype Workshop
Workshop

Join Oriana Poindexter at the Catalina Museum for an interactive workshop to learn this alternative photographic process and use organic subjects to create your own cyanotype prints.

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Workshop
Into the Blue
Oct 18
Group Show
Into the Blue
Group Show

A story about depth. Featuring artwork by Arline Mathieu, Maureen Meyer, Oriana Poindexter, Carmen Salazar, and Sean W. Spellman.

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Group Show

Current + Upcoming Events

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