An illustrated underwater pattern of New York Harbor wildlife — fish, anemones, crabs, and kelp on deep navy

Billion Oyster Project Exhibit House

Billion Oyster Project’s mission is to restore oyster reefs in New York Harbor through public education and community engagement. We collaborated to design an immersive exhibit space that surrounds visitors with the sights, sounds, and scents of the harbor, while highlighting the vital role oysters play in the local ecosystem. My main contribution was to wrap the space in an immersive mural, showing the underwater world of the New York Harbor.

The Process

A creative-direction board pairing the mural artwork with annotated notes and a colour palette

Illustration style: Billion Oyster Project had just gone through a round of rebrand, and this project provided an opportunity for the organization to set the illustration direction going forward.

A rough pencil sketch mapping out the mural from ideal state through pollution to restoration effort

Rough layout: Using a rough sketch to define what goes on the mural.

An annotated illustration of the piling corner, with callouts naming the estuary wildlife in the scene

Scientific knowledge: As a designer and illustrator, I relied on the clients to provide me with the scientific background of the Hudson River Estuary and the wildlife living in it.

Illustration style: Billion Oyster Project had just gone through a round of rebrand, and this project provided an opportunity for the organization to set the illustration direction going forward.

Rough layout: Using a rough sketch to define what goes on the mural.

Scientific knowledge: As a designer and illustrator, I relied on the clients to provide me with the scientific background of the Hudson River Estuary and the wildlife living in it.

Sketching the Motifs

American Eel — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Amphipod — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Asgard’s Red Weed — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Asian Shore Crab — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Atlantic Horseshoe Crab — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Barnacles — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Black Sea Bass — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Blue Crab — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Bluefish — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Boring Sponge — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Brown Bushy Bryozoan — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Butterfish — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Clam Worm — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Cunner — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Dahlia Anemone — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Eel Grass — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Frilled Anemone — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Grass Shrimp — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Hydroid — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Hydroids — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Isopod — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Lacy Bryozoan — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Lacy Bryozoans — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Menhaden — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Moon Jelly — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Mud Snail — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Mummichogs — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Mussel — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Mussels — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Northern Kingfish — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Northern Pufferfish — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Orange Striped Green Anemone — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Oyster Clump (tan) — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Oyster Clump (blue) — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Oyster Drill — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Quahog Clam — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Red Beard Sponge — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Sculpin — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Scup — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Sea Grass — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Sea Lettuce — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Sea Robin — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Sea Squirt — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Silverside — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Skilletfish — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Slipper Snail — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Snail — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Spat — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Spider Crab — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Striped Anemone — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Striped Anemone2 — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Striped Killifish — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Tautog — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Toadfish — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Sea horse — an illustrated motif from the Billion Oyster Project mural

Putting it All Together — Piling Corner

The piling corner mural panels, headed “Oysters Are a Keystone Species”, with illustrated fact bubbles in English and Spanish

The exhibit room with the piling corner mural wrapping the walls around a window and doorway

Putting it All Together — Harbor Timeline

The harbor timeline mural with installation dimensions, running from the pre-industrial era through peak pollution to modern-day restoration

The harbor timeline mural installed along a stairwell wall in the exhibit house

Client Testimonials

Working with Stacy on the design for our new Exhibit Space at Billion Oyster Project was such a joy. She created this incredible underwater mural that wraps the entire room, tying in our exhibit’s storytelling elements—like a timeline of oysters in New York Harbor—right into the scene. When we talked about pollution, she literally designed a polluted harbor. She took our ideas and made them come alive in ways that were thoughtful, playful, and totally mission-aligned.
We had a number of evolving constraints—tight timelines, limited wall space for text, shifting layouts, a new company-wide style guide mid-project, and ongoing uncertainty around access to the physical space. Stacy handled all of it with adaptability and grace. She regularly offered thoughtful solutions, and provided a few alternative files that helped make design more cost-effective without compromising its integrity.
On top of that, she was such a great collaborator—not just with me, but with our broader team. She coordinated with our interim comms director, worked directly with our translator to make sure the Spanish text was correct and well-placed, and always kept things moving on schedule (sometimes ahead of it!). Working together in Figma, and weekly meetings made the process feel really seamless.
The whole staff is so excited about what she’s created, and we can’t wait to get it installed. Stacy’s work will absolutely help us better connect with the public and tell the story of oysters in a way that’s engaging, especially for kids and families. I’d recommend her to anyone—she’s talented, reliable, and just genuinely great to work with.
Agata Poniatowski, Public Outreach Manager at Billion Oyster Project

Working with Stacy was a delight! She is a highly talented designer, sketch artist and creative lead. Stacy dove into the world of oyster reef restoration and delivered a beautifully designed and on-brand underwater depiction of New York Harbor and Billion Oyster Project story while managing numerous constraints and stakeholder opinions. She is highly collaborative, a problem solver and maintained openness to all creative direction from the Billion Oyster Project marketing team. I can't wait to see the mural in print at the new exhibit house!
Julie Fahnestock, Communications Director