![\"A](\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1013\/2026\/01\/Ramos_hands_harvest.jpg\")
<\/a>Connecting fieldwork with cultural heritage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
In high school, Ramos said she never connected to science classes like chemistry and physics. She never saw herself as being a lab scientist and had always been drawn to \u201cthe humanity side of learning and topics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wasn\u2019t until she came to UMaine and gained research experiences outdoors that she started using art to communicate what she was learning about in the environment. One of her first pieces that combined science and art was a large watercolor painting depicting workers in long rows of vegetable fields, held up by two large hands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She aimed to raise awareness of how these agricultural workers harvest much of America\u2019s food. Ramos continued to thread that theme into her work with Extension\u2019s Wild Blueberry Research Team, led by Extension specialist Lily Calderwood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is incredibly important to share the grit and humanity behind agricultural commodities in a time when people are very disconnected from their food, especially who harvests their food,\u201d Calderwood said. \u201cThis industry is culturally and economically important for the state of Maine. Its preservation touches a lot of people who live here year round and those who visit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Talked to growers about management and more<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
With Calderwood\u2019s team, Ramos talked to growers about management practices, economics and ecological obstacles, such as from pests, disease and drought. She said they echoed similar challenges regarding low-profit seasons and labor shortages, as well as unpredictable temperatures and precipitation making field management and yield predictability difficult. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the challenges they face, Ramos said the growers uphold a strong commitment to and pride for the wild blueberry industry and its cultural significance in Maine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Along with talking to the growers, Ramos harvested blueberries with local, seasonal and Passamaquoddy and Mi\u2019kmaq tribal hand-rakers in the fields to learn about their perspectives and traditions when it comes to wild blueberries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Calderwood said Ramos\u2019 paintings reflect aspects of Maine\u2019s wild blueberry industry that research does not \u2014 the social aspects of the people who grow them, the fields where they\u2019re grown and the state economy in which blueberries contribute $360 million annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cArtwork has always been a special way to convey the natural world, and it is grounding to see that art is still such a powerful communication tool,\u201d Calderwood said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n