Steve Israel

Founder and Chairman

Steve Israel is passionate about the perils of our ocean planet, the diversity of these threats, and what is being done around the world in marine conservation. His focus is on the creative projects and technological advances that will lead us toward a sustainable, responsible utilization of our water resources.

Steve is a man who strongly believes that through art you can raise public awareness. Combining this belief with his background as an artisan and an extensive knowledge of the salvage industry led him to the vision behind the formation of HarborArts; the formation of the organization, the development of the global web collaboration, and the building of the monumental Cod sculpture.

"Dialogue is the key to finding solutions. Once we get people's attention, we begin creating new opportunities to change the way we live."

Before becoming involved in the marine conservation issues of HarborArts, Steve’s career encompasses over 35 years in the architectural salvage business as the founder of the Great American Salvage Company of Montpelier, VT and New York City. As one of the pioneers in the salvage and recycling industry, Steve’s business was featured in national publications, TIME and NEWSWEEK, and on media programs such as "Good Morning America". Steve and his team of artisans have also designed and built several large-scale, multi-million dollar homes throughout the U.S. Each home incorporated an artist’s perspective using reclaimed antique archways, pillars, doors, windows and other materials in the custom work. They also created several art projects using reclaimed materials. It was a logical step from here to the vision and execution of the monumental steel Cod sculpture that is the first in the HarborArt series.

Roger Baker

Master Artist & Sculptor

Roger Baker is a master artist and craftsman and along with Steve Israel, a creator of the monumental Cod sculpture. Roger’s array of talents includes large-scale imagery, painting, drawing, and sculpting. His works have been shown and exhibited both around the country and internationally.

Roger has worked with Steve Israel on a wide range of artistic and architectural projects for over 35 years, and was a key member of the Great American Salvage Company team for 20 of those years. They designed and built Bloomingdales Americana on two floors of their flagship location in New York City, in the 1980s. In the late 90s, they went on to design and build several large-scale, multi-million dollar homes around the country, concentrating primarily in Westchester County, NY.

Roger is recognized internationally for his unique field art. His grass cuttings range in size from 500,000 square feet to over one million square feet. His field art tributes have included the Statue of Liberty, Elvis Presley, Albert Einstein, Jimi Hendrix, Indian Larry, and the Purple Heart, among others. He has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, CBS, CNN, and FOX news, and has been featured in TIME magazine and other publications around the world.

Marc Casasanta

Logistical Engineer

Marc Casasanta is a boat captain and talented marine engineer with extensive welding and structural expertise. An East Boston native, Marc has worked at the Boston Harbor Shipyard on many projects over the past 20 years.

When Steve approached Marc about building a monumental sculpture of a Codfish, using reclaimed materials and serving as the first visual beacon for HarborArts, Marc viewed it as the perfect fit for his passion for the sea and his engineering skills. Marc is committed to HarborArts and the role it plays in protecting the Boston Harbor as well as our other many waterways.

In addition to his involvement with the team, Marc presently operates his own successful marine servicing business. He has piloted and engineered boats from 100 feet to private yachts and tugboats. He has had his boat captain’s license for 10 years.

Bill McCormick

Photographer & Artist

Bill McCormick wears a variety of hats as a member of the HarborArts team.

Bill documented the entire creation of the monumental Codfish sculpture through photographs and will continue as our photographer.

Bill is a professional photographer who attended Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology, a photography school in Canada in the mid 1970's. Over the last 30 years, Bill has distinguished himself both through his photography and also as a pioneering “junk artist.” His work has been featured in many photography shows including in Santa Fe, NM, New York and Vermont.

Matt D’Amore

Photographer

Matt D’Amore has grown up on the waterfront in Boston and this has made him passionate about preserving the Harbor.

Matt has been a heavy equipment operator since 1997 and helps to manage the Boston Harbor Shipyard. Matt’s experience as a crane operator is invaluable in helping HarborArts with installations of monumental sculptures around the shipyard and for other locations.

Matt has been a photographer for the last 15 years. He has been involved in documenting the making of our Codfish sculpture and in capturing the essence of harbor life.

Mason Singer

Graphic Designer

Mason Singer has over three decades of experience in graphic design and marketing materials. Mason's expertise and creativity are critical to conveying the message of HarborArts. Mason is also owner of Laughing Bear Associates in Montpelier, Vermont. Laughing Bear is a highly regarded design shop, delivering exceptional work to a diverse catalog of clients.

William Craig

Author & Writer

William Craig is an author and writer. William helped to conceptualize the mission of HarborArts with Steve, and put the original vision and mission into words.

Among his many works of fiction are the “Drawing Our Desires: The Endless Keene Bypass Controversy.”

In addition, his poetry has appeared in print and online journals including: The Spectator, Art New England, The New Boston Review, Story Quarterly, Creative Loafing, The Anthology of New England Writers and Global AIDSLink. William has received a fiction fellowship from the New Hampshire State Council for the Arts, and is the founder of the annual Meetinghouse Readings in Canaan, New Hampshire.

Mark Millstein

Author & Writer

Mark Millstein is an artist and designer living in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Originally from New Jersey, Mark is a Professor of Design at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth where he teaches Digital Media and special projects in video, interactive media, digital photography and printmaking.

He earned a BFA at the Atlanta College of Art and an MFA at the Massachusetts College of Art. Mark’s studio is on the third floor of his 100 year-old home in New Bedford.

Mark’s Sailform and Kiteform sculptural works are on display in the HarborArts Boston Shipyard Gallery, and have been exhibited in national and international venues including the Smithsonian Institution Museum of Arts and Industry, the School of Visual Arts in New York, the Copley Society of Boston, and several editions of the annual SIGGRAPH Digital Art Gallery. Mark has completed many custom commissions for private collectors and his work is included in the 2006 text Art of the Digital Age, by Bruce Wands, Thames & Hudson, publishers.

Mark worked as an animator and interactive media designer before returning to teaching. Prior to his appointment at UMass Dartmouth in 1994, he taught at Carnegie Mellon University, Massachusetts College of Art and Atlanta College of Art. See more work at www.markmillstein.com.