What to Know
- "Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea" at South Coast Botanic Garden
- Opens April 1 in the destination's new Marilyn and John Long Children and Family Garden
- Admission to the Palos Verdes Peninsula garden covers your entry to the "Washed Ashore" area; the new "Washed Ashore" tour is an additional $29
California Coastal Cleanup Day is about six months away, but picking up random cups and bags we see on the beach is something we can do every single day of the year.
How, though, to take some of the debris found at the edge of the surf and turn it into a meaningful message about sustainability? Art that highlights the urgent call to be better stewards of the environment?
"Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea" has a striking answer to that question: Make beautiful pieces, inspired by the natural world, out of that litter that has been "washed ashore."
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Created by a nonprofit organization of the same name, "Washed Ashore" will go on view at the South Coast Botanic Garden beginning on April 1, 2023. The project is meant to "open people's eyes to single-use plastics and their own sustainability practices," shares the team.
There are 16 sculptures in all, and while most are ocean animals, you may find other fanciful critters represented in the thought-provoking lineup.
"Washed Ashore is honored to be able to share our sculptures and story with everyone at South
Coast Botanic Garden," says Brad Parks, Washed Ashore's Conservation Education Director.
"As the Garden's history includes being built on a former landfill, Washed Ashore also loves taking ocean trash and turning it into art. Together we both are making beautiful solutions out of ugly problems."
A new "Washed Ashore Adventure Tour" will add a story component to the sculptures, mixing in a bit of humor to what is on display, as well as some emotion and plenty of pathos.
The tour is available for a separate fee, while garden admission will give visitors a chance to admire the 16 sculptures at their own pace.
"This exhibit is striking in many ways. At first glance, you are mesmerized by the scale of some
of the pieces — truly Instagram-worthy moments," says Garden's Chief Executive Officer Adrienne Nakashima.
"But then when you look closer, you are faced with the sobering reality that the entire piece is made out of found objects — many that are plastic — that have polluted our oceans and have washed up on our shores."
"You can't help but be moved by this exhibit and leave with a new desire to do better for our planet."
Find out more about visiting the garden and the new tour now.
