GALVESTON ART PROJECT HELPS PROTECT TURTLES
“MERTLE” IS A TURTLES ABOUT TOWN SCULPTURE LOCATED AT CLAY CUP STUDIOS IN GALVESTON.
For the 50th sea turtle sculpture in the Turtles About Town public art project, Galveston artist Elizabeth Punches wanted to capture a grandparent in an act of love.
Since 2018, the public art initiative has paired local artists with sponsoring businesses and organizations for site-specific installations that mark locales along Galveston island.
A milestone in the project that raises conservation awareness for the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle — an endangered species native to the Gulf Coast and the official state sea turtle of Texas — Punches’ new sea turtle sculpture is located at The Meridian, a senior living facility located on the seawall.
An oil painter, Punches found inspiration in a 30-year-old photograph of a friend, then a toddler, being read to by her grandmother. She used the scene, which she says reflects the community at The Meridian, to cover the shell of her sculpture.
“I’m a huge advocate for reading and for having parents and grandparents read to their kids,” Punches says, adding that the monthlong challenge to “paint something that was relatively realistic onto a very bumpy and strange and concave surface” was both gratifying and relaxing.
Punches’ artwork joins other sea turtles dotting Galveston’s downtown, East End, West End and Pelican Island, including shelled creatures named Flora, Coral and Latte.
Turtles are located at fire stations, parks, schools and at City Hall and The Bryan Museum.
Sundae, perched at Hey Mikey’s Ice Cream, has waffle cone flippers.
Installed earlier this year in front of the Galveston Daily News building, Scoop, painted by artist Tracy Reed, wears a messenger bag filled with rolled-up newspapers.
Another sea turtle sports blond tendrils and red lipstick.
“All the turtles are so unique, and they do reflect the individual location and also the artist,” says Joanie Steinhaus, Gulf program director of Turtle Island Restoration Network.
Steinhaus, who helped spearhead Turtles About Town, says the 50 turtles drive foot traffic to local businesses and highlight the work of local nonprofits.
To conceptualize their conservation message, her team researched other public art initiatives in Texas, including Austin’s local-artist guitars, Wimberley’s giant cowboy boots and Seabrook’s pelicans.
In the pandemic, Steinhaus says, the public has posted on social media about their impromptu scavenger hunts for the turtles.
She suggests another photo op at Menard Park’s massive mural, which depicts five species of local sea turtles.
There are walking, bike and Segway tours that allow participants to encounter the turtles — all helpful, Steinhaus says, in informing the public about protecting the species.
“The Gulf of Mexico has influenced the cultures and heritage and economy of all the Gulf states,” she continues. “When we’re out in nature, walking the beach, listening to the waves, looking at the sunrise or sunset, knowing we’re a major migratory flyover for birds — for me, it’s the beauty and the ability to … feel that sense of calm and feel that connection to the Gulf.”
Galveston Island Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Mary Beth Bassett says Turtles About Town drives visitors to unique pockets of the city that aren’t on the typical Galveston visitor’s itinerary.
“Most people associate Galveston with 32 miles of coastline, when you follow and you look for these 50 turtles, you find yourself in different neighborhoods and parts that you may not know existed,” she says, including parts of historic downtown and the harbor.