‘ BEAUTIFUL & HORRENDOUS’
Shedd unveils exhibit of sculptures made from beach trash
Shedd Aquarium’s new exhibit displays just how much plastic and waste pollutes oceans, lakes and rivers.
The Shedd Aquarium will officially unveil the first of three installments of its newest exhibit, “Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea,” on Saturday. The 10 sculptures on display throughout the aquarium are created entirely out of recovered debris found on beaches.
The sculptures are the brainchild of Angela Haseltine Pozzi, artistic director and lead artist for Washed Ashore, who started the project after her husband passed away in 2010.
“I went to the ocean for healing but found an ocean that needed healing,” said Haseltine Pozzi, who lives in Oregon.
Cheryl Mell, senior vice president of conservation partnerships and programs for Shedd, said the exhibit aims to open visitors’ eyes about water pollution and spark conversations about how they can do their part to prevent it.
Plastic bottles, toothbrushes and flip flops are just some of the recovered garbage that has been transformed into various aquatic animals, including a river otter, clown fish and a seahorse.
Haseltine Pozzi said she hopes her “beautiful and horrendous” artworks will “wake people up.”
“Our mission is to build an exhibit with aesthetically powerful art to educate a global audience about the dangers of plastic pollution in our oceans and waterways, including lakes and to spark positive changes in consumer habits,” she said.
The exhibit will be on display for the next year. The collection will add six pieces in November and three in the spring.