Famed Art Installation Makes Its Way to Central Oregon Coast at Lincoln City

Published 10/17/21 at 4:36 AM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Lincoln City, Oregon) – A famed art attraction from the southern Oregon coast is now on the central Oregon coast through the spring. Bandon's Washed Ashore is a wildly successful exhibit of sea life sculptures made only from marine debris, containing a message of ocean and environmental stewardship that is timely and important.

The 19-piece collection of Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea took up residence in the Lincoln City Cultural Center this week and will be there through March 13, 2022. The actual grand opening will be on October 22. A group of funders has allowed for the touring exhibition to return to the Oregon coast, after having visited towns around the U.S. such as the Shedd Aquarium and the Smithsonian Institution to the San Francisco Zoo and SeaWorld Orlando.

The Washed Ashore project was founded in 2010 by artist Angela Haseltine Pozzi, using debris she collected from the beaches in Bandon.

It's a message with a special relevance to Lincoln City, being a much-loved beach town in the region. Admission to the exhibit at the Lincoln City Cultural Center (LCCC) will be free, thanks to funding from Oregon Coast Visitors Association, The Roundhouse Foundation, the Oneatta Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation, the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, the Ford Family Foundation, Explore Lincoln City and North Lincoln Sanitary Service. The LCCC is also receiving special installation assistance from Knottworks Construction of Lincoln City.

At the exhibit, you'll get to visit with Priscilla the Parrot Fish (who is 16 feet long and 9 feet tall), Chompers the Shark, Stanley the Sturgeon, Flash the Blue Marlin, Gertrude the Penguin, and American Sea Star – all set on the center's lawn. Inside the auditorium, visitors will find 10-foot long Leo Jelly and a “bloom” of smaller jellies, as well as the adorable tall Giacometti the River Otter.

All of the artworks are made from colorful marine debris – mostly plastic – found on the beach in Oregon. The work is combined with scientifically based educational signage to teach children and adults about ocean stewardship, responsible consumer habits and how “every action counts” to help save the sea.

Since 2010, more than 10,000 volunteers have participated in the Washed Ashore project, helping Pozzi and her team to create more than 80 sculptures using more than 38,000 pounds of marine debris. After serving as lead artist for more than a decade, Pozzi is passing this role to Washed Ashore veteran Steve Wright.

“The ultimate goal of a Washed Ashore exhibit is to use the power of the arts to spark change in consumer habits,” Haseltine Pozzi said. “As viewers are lured to look more closely by the beauty and craftsmanship of the art, all ages are shocked and motivated to learn more about the issue of plastic pollution. The viewers themselves are then gently guided with signage to take personal action in a way they can embrace. We teach that, truly, every action counts to save the sea.”

After the public installation is complete, the Cultural Center team will begin working on a hands-on educational art project using marine debris and other un-recycled plastics, in coordination with teachers at Oceanlake and Taft Elementary Schools, Taft 7-12 and local independent schools. The goal is to provide a field trip and a curriculum-based art-making experience for every school-age child in the north Lincoln County area.

Want to help? The Cultural Center is looking for the following local assistance as they prepare for this unprecedented Washed Ashore exhibit:
• Volunteer docents (training provided by Washed Ashore)
• Community partners (conservation, art or civic groups to hold coordinated events)
• Additional monetary donations (in any amount)
To learn more or get involved, contact LCCC's executive director, Niki Price, at 541-994-9994 or niki@lc-cc.org. The Lincoln City Cultural Center is located at 540 NE Hwy. 101, inside the historic Delake School.

Hotels in Lincoln City - Where to eat - Lincoln City Maps and Virtual Tours

MORE PHOTOS BELOW

More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging.....

More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining.....

LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles

Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net
All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted