Massive Sculptures of Sea Life Made from Marine Debris by Washed Ashore Project Bring Ocean Pollution Threat to National Attention at SeaWorld Parks

BANDON, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A giant 16-foot-long parrot fish and an 8-foot-wide octopus, made of marine and ocean debris and created by WashedAshore.org, are part of a unique 12-sculpture presentation that will premiere at SeaWorld Parks on March 21^st.

The sculptures, built by community volunteers and guided by the hand of artist and veteran educator Angela Haseltine Pozzi, are designed to teach children and adults about the dangers to fish and sea life posed by the enormous amount of plastic debris and other pollution that exists in the world’s oceans and waterways.

Four sculptures will be featured at SeaWorld Parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio as part of SeaWorld’s 50^th Anniversary “Sea of Surprises.”

“SeaWorld has given us a global platform to present our powerful art to educate a world audience about how plastic pollution is posing a dangerous and perhaps catastrophic threat to the world’s oceans and sea life,” said Lead Artist and Executive Director Pozzi.

In addition to the sculptures at SeaWorld, Washed Ashore has a traveling educational exhibit of up to 18 sculptures that continue to be placed at Aquariums, Zoos, Museums, Colleges and Science Centers. The exhibit uses its aesthetically powerful sculptures of sea life, including fish and turtles, to draw the attention of children and adults. Through educational signage and programs developed with the hosting venue, lessons are taught and the public becomes educated to a huge environmental problem that threatens us all.

As an indication of the importance of the issue and Washed Ashore’s impact, The Smithsonian Institution recently wrote about the non-profit’s art and education programs on its website. It also commissioned a Washed Ashore sculpture and teaching kit which is used to educate visitors at the museum’s Sant Ocean Hall in Washington, DC.

This summer Washed Ashore’s full traveling exhibit can be seen at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center and at The San Francisco Zoo, in addition to the special exhibit at SeaWorld Parks.

For more information about Washed Ashore’s educational art, intern programs, booking its traveling exhibit or to order an environmental teaching sculpture for your institution or business, contact Frank Rocco, Development Director, at [e-mail] or by telephone: [phone].