Turning Beach Trash Into Art, Central Oregon Coast's Newport Holds Event Next to Cleanups

Published 04/17/23 at 5:42 PM
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Newport, Oregon) – Two days before the great big beach cleanups on the Oregon coast and Washington coast, one central Oregon coast town has a way to contribute to a cleaner beach by engaging in found trash art projects. (Above: Newport, Oregon Coast Beach Connection photo)

Those from Newport or those visiting are encouraged to spend the afternoon at the Newport Visual Arts Center (VAC) in Newport creating art by utilizing stuff that's simply headed for the trash heap. Found trash art has become a fun little aesthetic movement all its own, and April 20 and 21 feature just that at the VAC, putting the whole concept to work with the event Earth Day Upcycled Art.

Originally developed as a workshop for teens, Arts Education Manager Sara Siggelkow has opened the event up to all ages (though artists under 6 years old will need to be supervised by an adult).

“It’s such an exciting, interesting, hands-on experience,” said Siggelkow, “Several adults mentioned they’d like to get in on the fun, too, and I thought…well, why not?”

Anything is game for this artsy-yet-earthy DIY art project: from cardboard to motherboards, foam core to phone cords. Attendees will find much to spark their creativity with. Many of the VAC regulars from the central Oregon coast are already expressing plenty of glee at this opportunity, which essentially means you'll get to turn broken plastics into beautiful masterpieces.

It's all coupled with Earth Day celebrations and the major SOLVE Oregon Spring Cleanup on April 22.

This “Earth Day Upcycled Art” experience will take place April 20th and 21st. No registration is necessary – those interested can drop in any time between 1pm and 4pm on either day (or both) to join in the fun. The VAC is located at 777 NW Beach Drive in Newport. For more information, visit www.coastarts.org/earth-day

OREGON COAST CLEANUPS - AND WASHINGTON TOO

The Oregon Spring Cleanup is happening on April 22 – and it's now accepting registration for volunteers from the Oregon coast to the outer edges of eastern Oregon. Put together by SOLVE (once known as SOLV), this event takes place on Earth Day.

Literally thousands participate, and each year has generally seen more over the years. SOLVE said it's hoping for thousands again, as various groups host beach cleanups, litter projects and even habitat restoration events.

Events running from now to April 23rd, 2023 are now open for volunteers to register at the website www.solveoregon.org.

Washington State Parks and Recognition Commission, Coast Savers and the Washington Coast Clean Alliance will host the Washington Coast Cleanup on Earth Day, April 22.

This time around the event happens at 9 a.m. to noon, concentrated at nine state parks along the Washington coast. These are: Cape Disappointment, Fort Townsend, Fort Worden, Grayland Beach, Mystery Bay, Ocean City, Pacific Beach, Shine Tidelands and Twin Harbors.

Visit CoastSavers.org to learn more about the Washington Coast Cleanup, view a list of all participating beaches and pre-register for the event. MORE NEWPORT BELOW

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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