Highline Community College's Library Art Gallery show features the work of entrants in the school's MaST contest for art students throughout December.

Works on display are in a variety of media, focusing on marine life and landscapes.

The contest celebrates the ongoing renovation of Highline's Marine and Science Technology (MaST) center in the Redondo neighborhood of Des Moines.

A marine laboratory for the college, the center is located four miles south of campus at Redondo Beach.

The MaST Center is dedicated to expanding knowledge about the Puget Sound and the surrounding environment through teaching, learning, and research

Renovation of the center began this year. The $2.6 million project will enlarge the MaST into a marine science educational center with classrooms, laboratories, office and research space-and one of the largest aquariums on Puget Sound.

Large flow-through saltwater tanks, holding more than 80 species of local marine life, will provide easy access to a huge diversity of nearby habitats.

The 2,500 square-foot facility, situated on a 260-foot pier over Puget Sound, is scheduled to reopen for Spring Quarter 2008.

The MaST Center Capital Campaign and Daniel Smith Art Supply Store of Seattle sponsor the art contest. Smith will award gift certificates to three contest winners.

The HCC Library Exhibits and Art Gallery, located on the fourth floor of the library, is set aside for exhibiting visual arts.

It displays the creative works of faculty, staff, students and members of the extended community in an effort to provide space for promoting their diverse talents.

Read more about the MaST Center at flightline.highline.edu/mast/.

For more about the art contest, visit flightline.highline.edu/exhibits or email exhibits@highline.edu.