Ocean Trash Sculptures Hit Marine Mammal Center

Plastic bottles and bags littering the ocean may be out of sight but not necessarily out of mind -- at least not here in Marin.

In 2010, a catamaran fashioned entirely from recycled materials set sail from Sausalito to raise awareness of the problem of ocean pollution. Now, one woman's ocean trash has become another's art. Starting Saturday, colossal sculptures constructed from approximately 7,000 pounds of refuse will be on display at the Marine Mammal Center in the Headlands as part of the "Washed Ashore" community project, a vision of artist and educator Angela Haseltine Pozzi.

The 15 trash sculptures installed throughout the hospital and visitor center at the marine center are on display for the next four months.

"We think this exhibit will engage our visitors with the 'pretty ugly truth' about ocean trash and help them make the connection between their health, the health of our oceans and how their actions have an impact on both," Marine Mammal Center Executive Director Jeff Boehm said.

Roughly 8 to 10 percent of the marine mammal patients treated at the center are admitted because of "human interactions, including those related to entanglements in trash," Boehm said.

Members of the Oregon-based Washed Ashore project collected approximately 7,000 pounds of trash from 20 miles of beaches along that state's coast to craft the sculptures.

"I came to the ocean to heal, but I found an ocean that needed healing," Pozzi said. "Like many people, I walked with blinders on, past the garbage, wanting to only see the ocean. The problem of plastic pollution in the ocean is huge, so the artwork had to be massive in order to get the message across."

The center will hold a dedication and grand opening today at 9 a.m., and the exhibit officially opens to the public an hour later. Admission to the exhibit is free. Details about the art project can be found here.

--Bay City News Service