Mystic Aquarium Partners With Westerly's United Theater

WESTERLY, RI — Mystic Aquarium and the UNITED announced a new, collaborative partnership designed to inspire, educate, and unite the community about various conservation initiatives, from saving endangered species to recruiting students for citizen science programs, through the arts, including but not limited to live music, film, and musical education programs.

While making the announcement, the two local non-profit organizations joined forces to host an exclusive screening of Avatar: The Way of Water at the UNITED for Mystic Aquarium’s members. The evening featured refreshments, a tour of the theater, and a premier screening of Avatar, running throughout December and January at the UNITED.

“It was a fantastic evening and the start of something extraordinary between two incredible organizations,” said Lydia Shell, Director of Development for Mystic Aquarium.

The partnership will continue to be celebrated during March in a festival named “March of the Penguins,” with an acute focus on raising awareness and funds for the South African penguins, an endangered species, in collaboration with long-time partner, the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB). Community events surrounding the campaign will include a trail of penguins displayed between Mystic and Westerly, a unique event at the Ocean Community YMCA’s Washington Trust Community Skating Center, and a month-long gallery exhibition featuring the work of Dan Callister, an award-winning New York-based conservation photographer.

The collaboration will also feature in-school educational activities, with events featuring films and books about penguins, and two special appearances by Mystic Aquarium’s South African penguins at the UNITED, one that will commence with an original “March” composed and performed by the students at the RI Phil Music School at the UNITED.

“The UNITED is one of the best kept secrets in our area. It is a place where people can go to really experience the beauty of the arts, close to home. And Mystic Aquarium is a place where people can go to really experience the beauty of nature, science, and conservation. To be able to explore the opportunities of what we can do together is honestly a dream come true and I cannot wait to see what the year has in store for us,” says Tina Couch, Senior Vice President of Development.

Carly Callahan, Executive Director of the UNITED added, "we are so excited to announce our strategic partnership with the Mystic Aquarium with the goal of advancing the educational and community-based missions for both organizations. Using the mediums of film, music, and visual arts at educational and community events at both locations, our region-wide collaboration, "March of the Penguins," will bring our communities together and ignite a passion for conservation of the aquatic world.”

Proceeds from the events will benefit conservation efforts undertaken by Mystic Aquarium and SANCCOB to assist in the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of abandoned penguin chicks. More details about upcoming events will be announced in the new year.

ABOUT MYSTIC AQUARIUM

Mystic Aquarium, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, is counted among the nation’s leading aquariums, offering exemplary care to a variety of species while also serving as the northeast’s premier marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation center. Robust conservation and education programming along with unparalleled visitor experiences serve to strengthen personal connections to the animals and their environments. The mission of Mystic Aquarium is to inspire people to care for and protect the ocean planet through conservation, education, and research, and introduces approximately 800,000 guests annually to thousands of animals through structured interpretations, specially curated exhibits and hands-on interactions. As a leading research organization, Mystic Aquarium employs a full staff of scientists engaged in projects focused on the conservation and sustainability of our ocean planet.

ABOUT UNITED THEATER

The UNITED is a non-profit regional center for arts and arts education showcasing world-class performing, visual and creative work. The UNITED has been reincarnated from a 1926 vaudeville theatre into a $17 million, state-of-the-art facility consisting of three movie cinemas, one large black box balconied venue with a 500-person capacity, an art gallery/reception space, and a music school with seven acoustically-isolated music classrooms that is run in conjunction with the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra and Music School. With a mission to “unite the community through the arts,” the UNITED draws from an expansive audience of various ages who unite through their love of the arts and arts education in its many forms, including film, live music, theatre, opera, dance, visual arts, lectures and more.