Ocean Unger
My passion is unifying art, science, and activism to find creative solutions to existing world problems. I love to incorporate my other interests of surfing, sailing, and skateboarding into my art as well. I am currently majoring in Entomology and Nematology at the University of Florida. I am also running my own small sticker business, called Ocean Rayz.
Below, you will find a few of my favorite projects that I have done so far. If you would like more information regarding my projects and achievements, I am happy to supply my academic resume.
Clearwater Community Sailing Center Art Fundraiser
In the fall of 2022, I gave free painting classes to kids at my local sailing center; their paintings were donated to and sold at a fundraiser and silent auction that I planned and carried out with a friend. We raised around $1200, and used this money to create a sailing scholarship that we awarded to a girl from the Sheriff Youth Ranchers Group Homes to sail with the development team for a year. The Clearwater Community Sailing Center has played a large role in my life for as long as I can remember, so I am very happy to be able to use my art to give that to someone else who would not have had the opportunity otherwise.
Smile! Art Curation for NAMI
In the summer of 2021, I collaborated with Straighten Up Orthodontics to curate an art exhibit under the theme “what made you smile during quarantine?”. I commissioned ten pieces from myself and other teenage artists around the world to be put on display, with each piece being a digital illustration of the artist or their original characters wearing a “smile” mask, and in turn Straighten Up Orthodontics donated $1000 to our local chapter of NAMI, a prominent organization that supports people facing mental illnesses. The paintings were first displayed in November 2021 at an opening event, which was attended by NAMI representatives and featured in a Tampa Bay Registry Article. After over a year of display, the pieces were donated to the local NAMI building.
Beehold! Short Film
In 2020, I was given the opportunity to be an animator on the short film, Beehold! by Paula Allen of Pollyzoom Animations. The majority of art was made by children 10 and under, and my job was to manually digitize and animate those drawings for the film. The film was featured in the International Reel Girls Film Festival, and won the Audience Choice award.