2026 GLOBAL eDNA CONFERENCE
DEVELOPING THE ART
Developed and realised by artist Joseph Rossano, the Salmon School installation consists of a school of mirrored salmon-like forms, hand-blown from molten glass by artists and makers from around the world, all of whom are concerned by the plight of wild salmon. Working with the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA, the initial forms were created and a method was developed to easily replicate versions of a salmon-like shape using blown glass.
The first exhibition of Salmon School took place at the Bellevue Arts Museum in Washington State. Displayed at eye level, it reflected the population of native wild salmon in the Skagit River, flowing into Puget Sound, North of Seattle. Following this exhibition, Rossano was approached by The Missing Salmon Alliance to work with a consortium of NGOs from around the world to bring Salmon School to the United Nations Climate Change Summit (COP26). After COP26, the art will be displayed in locations around the UK before returning to the Pacific Northwest – the place of its birth - where it will be part of the 2022 United Nations International Year of Glass at the Museum of Glass.
OCTOBER 28–30, 2026
BRINGING SALMON HOME
The power of environmental DNA to advance our understanding of the world around us has been growing for decades, and scientists and decision-makers are increasingly driving forward its uses and applications. Yet while the field has grown, the opportunity for researchers working in eDNA to connect beyond one-on-one meetings and informal networks has been thin, largely relegated to individual sessions at larger gatherings that have a different disciplinary focus.
That’s about to change. During the last week of October, scientists from around the world will convene in Seattle for the inaugural Global eDNA Conference. For three days, researchers will gather to advance the discipline in a way that hasn’t been possible before: in-person, as a community.
Hosted in partnership with the MTS eDNA Committee and the University of Washington’s eDNA Collaborative, the conference will convene a global community of eDNA enthusiasts from across economic sectors to build connections, learn from one another, and further advance eDNA science.
The global conference's three days of concurrent sessions will focus on a diverse array of eDNA-related topics, including conservation applications, quantitative analysis, community engagement, policy-relevant communication, technological development — and many more.
The Salmon School is honored to join its partner the University of Washington's eDNA Collaborative at this important inaugural event.
EXHIBITIONS
Since its inaugural exhibition at the Bellevue Arts Museum in April 2019, the project has been renamed The Salmon School. Under this new title, the project was a keynote presentation at COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, in November of 2021. Subsequently, The Salmon School has begun to travel the globe on a circular journey, serving as a symbol of hope — hope that, through awareness and community building, we can foment real change.
