Looking for a good activity to celebrate Earth Day? Try using plastic trash to create plastic art. Plastic lasts forever and yet half of it is used once and thrown away. Art is a great way to give plastic pollution another life.

Want some inspiration? Check out the nonprofit Washed Ashore. Their mission is to use the arts to educate a global audience about plastic pollution in oceans and waterways and to spark positive changes in consumer habits. To that end they’ve taken plastic art to the next level. Their traveling exhibit features giant sea life sculptures including sharks, jellyfish, whale skeletons, birds, and fish. While that is amazing enough, these sculptures are made entirely of marine debris. The materials used were collected from beaches to graphically illustrate the tragedy of plastic pollution in our oceans and waterways.

Under the guidance of Artistic and Executive Director Angela Haseltine Pozzi, thousands of volunteers have removed of 20 tons of plastic marine debris. This debris has been used to create 70 large and powerful plastic art pieces. For example, Priscilla the Parrotfish, pictured here, is 9 ft tall, 16 ft long, and 7 ft wide. The artwork is combined with scientifically based educational signage to teach children and adults about responsible consumer habits. Signage reminds visitors how every action counts to help save our seas.

Plastic Art as a Traveling Show

Thus far their sculptures have appeared at zoos in California, Florida, Houston, Denver and Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, DC. A special Washed Ashore exhibit piece is on display in the Ocean Hall of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. To find out if their exhibit is coming to a zoo, aquarium, or a museum near you visit their website: www.WashedAshore.org. Interested in having them visit your home town or want to learn more? Reach out to FrankRocco@WashedAshore.org

Have you made any plastic art?  If so, share your pictures with Plaine Products on social media so we can share them with others! We all need a little inspiration from time to time.