Visit our gallery for Washed Ashore merchandise, sustainable products and to see our sculptures! Washed Ashore builds and exhibits aesthetically powerful art to educate a global audience about the plastic pollution problem in oceans and waterways and spark positive changes in consumer habits. The multi-layered process to develop the characteristic Washed Ashore art starts at the beach. Many miles
of Oregon coastline are strewn with plastic marine debris coming from a variety of sources, including the North Pacific Gyre. Garbage comes from rivers to the ocean, from beaches, from marine vessels to the ocean, and from continent to continent. It is then picked up from the beach by hand, one piece at a time, and brought into our Washed Ashore processing facility to be rinsed, washed, and prepared for community member workshops. Thousands of people volunteer to drill, cut, stitch, string, weave, and attach cleaned plastic debris onto wire mesh in what is referred to as “piece-work.” Simple to complex methods are developed to incorporate volunteers of all ages and abilities. Workshops are free to the public and offer a fun, interactive community gathering spot as well as presenting an educational forum for ocean stewardship. In the past 10 years Washed Ashore has collected over 35 tons of marine debris (disposed lighters, crushed plastic bins, lost beach shovels, water bottles and derelict fishing nets, etc) and transformed it into over 85 nationally featured art pieces.
