WHAT’S BEING CLAIMED:
- Washed Ashore tours giant sculptures of marine animals to communicate the message of ocean conservation, and encourage change.
- The project created 86 artworks from 60,000 lbs of plastic wastes collected from the Oregon Coast.
- Washed Ashore’s sponsored beach cleanups have attracted over 14,000 volunteers.
Giant sculptures of marine animals are propped up in art exhibits to raise awareness about the growing plastic pollution problem through art.
The Washed Ashore Project means to communicate the message of ocean conservation and encourage change. The project started in 2010 but has managed to clean up 300 miles of beaches, and created 86 artworks from 60,000 lbs of trash. This includes masterpieces such as the Flash the Blue Marlin, Gertrude the Penguin, Chompers the Shark, Stanley the Sturgeon, and the American Sea Star.
“It’s an ugly problem with a beautiful solution,” says Brad Parks, Director of Conservation Education to the Washed Ashore Project.
Washed Ashore’s sponsored beach cleanups have attracted over 14,000 volunteers. Aside from beachcombing, the volunteers clean up the beach areas and sort plastic wastes based on size and color.
This process where people come together for activities like this one is oftentimes what inspires artists to create their masterpieces. For artists participating in this project, turning discarded objects on the shorelines into something beautiful is the challenge.
This is almost always the case. The long-horned cowfish was sculpted after a large yellow buoy and hard hat were found. From the collection of black flip-flops, the giant penguin was made. These flip-flops are the most common trash collected, and it is used in penguin sculptures, eagle feathers, salmon stripes, and sea turtle flippers.
Washed Ashore is a project of the Artula Institute for Art and Environmental Education. On occasion, this moving exhibit is sponsored by the art institute. At the moment, Washed Ashore artworks are on an exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History — Sant Ocean Hall.
Washed Ashore sculptures will be at the Tennessee Aquarium, Metropolis at Metro town (for another 12 days), the John Ball Zoo, the Lincoln City Cultural Center, and the Wichita Botanic Gardens.
Source: Good News Network
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