Host Jessica Leigh Lebos records from the Tybee Island Marine Science Center’s Ship Watch Loft and interviews multidisciplinary abstract artist Betsy Cain, whose work appears in major museums, galleries, and collections.

Cain discusses moving to Savannah in 1981 through the early SCAD community, how living near the river and later on the marsh shaped her work through tides, light, movement, and texture, and how kayaking immersed her in marsh ecology, weather, and pluff mud—materials she has even used in art.

She describes her disciplined daily studio practice, including distinct work “stations” and taking a 20-minute nap to gain clarity. Cain reflects on Ossabaw Island’s landscapes and longtime steward Sandy West, highlights the Jepson exhibit “Off the Coast of Paradise,” and explains efforts with Art Southeast to restart the Ossabaw Island Artist Residency, funded by sales of her Ossabaw drawings and new grants, with the first resident hoped for in the fall.

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Proudly produced by Dee Daniels Media Podcast Network

FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:55 Meet Betsy Cain

01:57 Moving to Savannah

03:12 Landscape Inspiration

04:15 Tides and Rhythm

07:39 Kayaking the Marsh

10:19 Pluff Mud Lessons

11:21 Studio Discipline

13:42 Stations and Process

15:11 Figure to Abstraction

16:57 Ossabaw Island

18:20 Exploring Ossabaw Landscapes

18:57 Painting With Sandy West

20:23 Saving The Island

21:25 Adventures At 102

22:48 Exhibit And Legacy

25:39 Reviving Artist Residency

28:15 Remembering Jane Fishman

31:27 Where To See Betsy Work

32:02 Longleaf Pine Inspiration

33:53 Art Making Philosophy

34:24 Protecting Coastal Georgia

35:22 Tybee Marine Science Center

This episode of the Tybee Marine Science Center Podcast (recorded at the Ship Watch Loft on Tybee Island) features award-winning marine biologist Dr. Chris Hintz, associate professor at Savannah State University.

Hintz recounts arriving at Savannah State in 2009, early NSF-funded coastal sampling along the Savannah River and Georgia coast, and his path from chemical/environmental engineering into marine science via coral aquaculture and filtration work, leading to a PhD at the University of South Carolina. He discusses receiving a Google Geo Good Impact award for documenting sea turtle hatchling misorientation linked to coastal light pollution affecting Ossabaw Island and other sites, plus efforts to estimate nest incubation temperatures using NOAA/NWS and NASA data without disturbing nests and to assess climate-related sex-ratio impacts.

He also describes collaborations on Ogeechee River microplastics and Gray’s Reef concerns, and research on oyster growth, reef restoration, and aquaculture’s environmental benefits.

Learn more about the voices and topics in this episode:

What's happening at Tybee Island Marine Science Center

Resources:

Become a MEMBER

Volunteer at Tybee Island Marine Science Center

Partnership and Donation Opportunities

Proudly produced by Dee Daniels Media Podcast Network

FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Welcome and Awards

01:19 Georgia Coast Origin Story

03:19 Engineering to Ocean Science

09:22 Sea Turtle Light Pollution

12:05 Tracking Nest Temperatures

15:01 Microplastics and Rivers

16:32 Oysters and Acidification

18:50 Aquaculture Benefits Explained

22:41 Microscopic Ocean Monsters

23:45 State of the Ocean Today

25:29 Relaxing on the Water

27:17 Closing and Support TMSC

The award-winning Tybee Island Marine Science Center Podcast kicks off season four from the Shipwatch Loft at North Beach with host Jessica Leigh Lebos and superstar guest Chantal Audran, Executive Director of the Tybee Island Marine Science Center, to preview major updates.

Chantal highlights new exhibit clusters, including the center’s first cultural exhibit on Gullah Geechee coastal cultures featuring ethnobotany and medicinal plants, plus a maritime knot-tying exhibit incorporating a salvaged yardarm from the ship Barbara Negra.

The conversation also covers a newly arrived octopus (brought in through catch-and-release collection) and a new sea turtle hatchling, alongside upcoming releases. Chantal also shares some recent, wonderful news of her own!

They discuss diamondback terrapin rescue, mortality research on Highway 80, egg recovery and incubation with Georgia Southern, and announce the April 25 Turtle Trot 5K fundraiser supporting Tybee’s sea turtle nesting season and education programs reaching 80,000 visitors annually.

Learn more about the voices and topics in this episode:

What's happening at Tybee Island Marine Science Center

Resources:

Become a MEMBER

Volunteer at Tybee Island Marine Science Center

Partnership and Donation Opportunities

Proudly produced by Dee Daniels Media Podcast Network

FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:28 Season Four Guest

01:44 New Exhibit Unveiling

02:20 Gullah Geechee Culture

03:40 Maritime Knot Station

05:52 Octopus Arrival Story

08:02 Sea Turtle Hatchlings

08:44 Chantal New Mom

11:31 Terrapin Season Prep

12:45 Terrapin Rescue Research

15:16 Eggs To Headstart

18:07 Sea Turtle Season

18:58 Turtle Trot Details

22:21 Education Pillar

24:44 Why Our Water Green

26:07 80K Visitors Impact

29:16 Closing Thanks