The artwork of Beth Hoeckel for The Sea Project for Sperry Topsider.

Heritage brand Sperry Topsider, known as the quintessential prep boating shoe for the upper class, is once again in vogue thanks to the growing movement of Americana and heritage trends.

In an interesting shift for the brand, they’ve launched a new artistic and philanthropic marketing campaign called “The Sea Project” which starts with an art exhibition which launched yesterday, October 25, 2012 in Boston as part of the Fourth Wall Project.

Brandon McLean's collage of old fishing trips in The Sea Project.

The Sea Project includes an exhibition of up-and-coming artists including Aaron Moran, Beth Hoeckel, Julia Talcott, Brandon McLean, John Fellows, Nathan Deyesso, and their interpretations of inspiration from the sea. Each artist’s work is aligned with a non-profit to benefit from sales of the art.

The idea, according to Sperry, is to fuse art with the brand and street-level outreach, from which various limited edition fashion and footwear products will also be created. This first show, inspired by Passion for the Sea is intended to attract tastemakers, sneaker-heads, bloggers, and various cultural influencers.