FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 2025
Artist Laura Shapes partners with SeaKeepers to advance conservation mission, creating official awards honoring
Jimmy Buffett and Emily Cunningham, MBE
The artist will host a live painting session and her commissioned invasive lionfish artworks will be unveiled at SeaKeepers’ Founders Event during the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show
Laura Shape, in front of Beautiful Stranger, Invasive python leather, acrylic, 52 x 36 x 0.3 in
Fort Lauderdale, FL – On Thursday, October 30, 2025, artist Laura Shape will join The International SeaKeepers Society (SeaKeepers) as part of their annual Founders Event at Pier Sixty-Six during the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. Shape has been commissioned to create the organization’s official art awards, crafted on invasive lionfish leather, to be presented to this year’s honorees Jimmy Buffett (posthumously, SeaKeeper of the Year) and Emily Cunningham, MBE (NextGen Award). Shape will live-paint during cocktail hour, and her invasive lionfish artworks will be unveiled at the event.
Shape is the first fine artist to pioneer invasive-species leathers as a primary medium — including lionfish, carp, and Burmese python — turning them into fine art paintings. By working with conservation-focused suppliers to remove these ecological threats, her practice transforms destructive species into artworks that generate measurable environmental impact. With both her overall body of work and the new paintings created for the SeaKeepers’ Founders Event, Shape aims not only to visually celebrate the non-profit’s’ vital mission but also to spark long-term conversation and connection about the importance of conservation efforts and community action.
“It’s an honor to create awards that celebrate Jimmy Buffett’s ocean legacy and Emily Cunningham’s leadership. Each work is painted on invasive lionfish leather, making the awards themselves part of the solution – actively contributing to reef restoration through the removal of a destructive species.” – Laura Shape
This year’s annual Founders Event honors Jimmy Buffett as SeaKeeper of the Year for his long-standing dedication to ocean and coastal protection. The NextGen Award will be presented to Emily Cunningham, MBE, whose work in climate action, policy, and community engagement has positioned her as a leading voice for environmental progress.
The event will also recognize the 2024-25 DISCOVERY Fleet, a group of vessels that played a critical role in supporting SeaKeepers programs this year. These partners enabled research, citizen science, and educational outreach across the globe, providing scientists and educators with access to the ocean through the generosity of the yachting community. Commemorative prints of Shape’s artwork will be awarded to the 2024-2025 DISCOVERY Fleet.
About Laura Shape
Laura Shape is a multimedia artist whose pioneering work transforms invasive animal species into tools for ecological restoration.
Her hand-crafted paintings and sculptural works are not just symbolic—they generate direct, measurable impact. Shape is the first known artist to use leather from invasive species as a fine art medium, removing ecological threats and turning them into catalysts for environmental renewal.
She works with materials from invasive lionfish, carp, and Burmese pythons—species that severely disrupt native ecosystems. These leathers are obtained through trusted partnerships with conservation-focused suppliers and field experts across the U.S. and Caribbean.
Her work has earned a Juror’s Award at a Smithsonian-affiliated exhibition, selected by a Fellow of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, and has been featured in an exhibition endorsed by UNESCO’s UN Ocean Decade. Her pieces are held in private collections across the U.S., including those of established art collectors.
She lives and works in Denver, Colorado.
Website: https://www.laurashape.com
Instagram: @laurashape
About The International SeaKeepers Society
The International SeaKeepers Society is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that facilitates oceanographic research, conservation, and education through direct involvement with the yachting community. Providing educational resources and hands-on marine science experiences to students is the primary focus for ensuring the wellbeing of our planet. SeaKeepers enables the yachting community to take full advantage of their unique potential to advance marine sciences and raise awareness about global ocean issues.
Founded in Monaco in 1998, The International SeaKeepers Society has been supporting ocean conservation through direct involvement with the yachting community for more than twenty-seven years. What started as a data collection program aboard select luxury yachts, has evolved to engage thousands of participants annually with at-sea and coastal programming. Today SeaKeepers’ mission is focused on the DISCOVERY Program which is comprised of Scientist-Led Expeditions, Citizen Science, Educational Outreach, and Community Engagement.
As a catalyst working with governments, scientists, institutions, and other marine organizations to further its mission, SeaKeepers supports sensible, achievable marine protection and restoration. Activities take place globally through the efforts of headquarters based in the United States with offices located on the east and west coast, and international representation in Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the South Pacific. For more information, please visit www.seakeepers.org