Our exhibit, Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea, has been on display for about 4 months now and has helped us share the importance of conservation and sustainability. Each of the 16 colorful sculptures is made of ocean debris collected from the beaches of Oregon and Washington. This exhibit has helped make the serious topics of single-use plastics and water pollution be more approachable and fun.
But some of the additional details of the exhibit that make it so special may be easily overlooked, especially if you didn’t read our guide before your visit. There are still two more months to come see Washed Ashore either for the first time or to re-experience it, so we wanted to share the top five things you might miss while visiting the exhibit.
Top 5 Things You Might Miss:
1. A little Disney magic
Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea was once commissioned by Disney to create a sculpture in honor of Disney Nature’s 2019 Penguins, a documentary that follows the life of an Adélie Penguin named Steve. As a way to commemorate Disney, the Washed Ashore team added a hidden Mickey to Brody the Adélie Penguin, which is now on display at the Garden.
2. There’s an “eye spy” game throughout
Each Washed Ashore sculpture has an interpretive sign containing an eye-spy game! Use the eye-spy list to find all the trashy items that were once on our beaches and found their way onto beautiful sculptures. We bet you’ll never guess what Octavia the Octopus has hiding on her sculpture!
3. Lidia’s inspiration
Ever wonder how the team at Washed Ashore named all of these sculptures? Well, the main type of item that Lidia the Seal is made out of is a variety of lids – hence her name Lidia! Now imagine how many containers had to be thrown away for that many lids to be found in the ocean – you’ll see many of those on the base of which Lidia sits.
4. A very photogenic shark
Not only does Greta the Great White Shark share how much waste is found in her habitat, but she also shares the spotlight! There is a small boat on the side of Greta that you can hop inside of for the perfect photo moment.
5. A turtle with a message
Edward the Leatherback Turtle is built to size, meaning Edward is the size of a real-life leatherback turtle. These massive turtles need to eat a lot to support their size. Their favorite food is jellyfish, which are usually clear and can be found freely drifting in the ocean. Plastic bags, drifting in the ocean look a lot like jellyfish and unfortunately, turtles like Edward are not able to tell the difference. That’s why it’s important to find reusable alternatives to single-use plastics. This Washed Ashore moment really brings home the fact that these sea creates are eating plastic due to our waste!
Click here to learn about Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea and purchase tickets.
