Exhibition opening celebration: The Same Sea

On view through August 9th, the opening reception of “The Same Sea” will take place on Thursday, April 30, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at DATMA in downtown New Bedford. The public is invited to attend, meet the artists, and experience the exhibition firsthand. DATMA’s location is 1213 Purchase St, Floor 2, New Bedford, MA 02740.
DATMA is proud to present “The Same Sea,” a group exhibition featuring six South Coast artists that participated in the inaugural Hotel Papel sister city artist residency program. Opening on April 30 and on view through August 9, the exhibition brings together a dynamic range of work created in response to a shared experience on Faial Island in the Azores.
“The Same Sea” reflects on the cultural and geographic ties between Greater New Bedford and its sister city of Horta, Faial—connections shaped by centuries of migration, maritime labor, and storytelling. Over the course of a 10-day residency, January 23 – February 2, six artists ranging in medium, who immersed themselves in the landscape, traditions, and daily rhythms of island life, producing work across disciplines that speaks to both personal reflection and collective memory.
The exhibition features:
Mason Terra, painter
Maggie Felisberto, writer
Abigail Marshall, photographer
Carley Byers, filmmaker
Lynne Byers, ceramicist
Jackie Fournier Se’Ale, painter
Working in painting, writing, photography, film, and ceramics, the artists explore themes of place, identity, language, and belonging. From volcanic terrain and shifting seascapes to intimate portraits and poetic narratives, the works in The Same Sea consider how distance can collapse through shared histories—and how the ocean, rather than dividing, can connect.

