For the past decade and a half, volunteers with Washed Ashore have collected trash on the beaches of Oregon, and in turn, created an art from the detritus of modern life.

The organization has turned over 60,000 lbs of trash into artistic works like sharks, eels, jellyfish, polar bears, and even a northern leopard frog as a way of reminding the public how plastic waste affects ecosystems.

Seen by millions in displays worldwide, Washed Ashore has now come to the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo for the summer and early fall, with that frog statue made especially for Calgary due to the conservation work the institute’s done for the species.

“We like to call ourselves washed ashore art to save the sea, because our goal is to make incredible, pleasing art to educate the public about this issue, but also that inspired change on behalf of the creatures that we depict in all of our sculptures,” said Brad Parks, Conservation Education Director for Washed Ashore.

Despite Calgary being about as far away from the ocean as it gets, Parks said that the cycle of waste actually begins in majority, some 80 per cent, inland or on the coast.

“No matter where we are, we actually are contributing through things like doing our laundry and laundering shirts and clothing that are no that are made from synthetic materials, and unknowingly releasing microfibers into the waterways that aren’t filtered out in most situations, and can even harm the freshwater creatures around us before they travel all the way to the ocean,” Parks said.

He said that the Bow River, when it joins the Old Man River, which then joins the Saskatchewan River and eventually flows into Hudson Bay, was a perfect example of how that waste could travel from a place like Calgary into the ocean.

“We actually have a polar bear here, knowing Hudson Bay is such an amazing place for those bears,” Parks said.

“So, whether you are inland here or on the coast, all of our actions really can contribute to protecting wildlife. That’s why we love to partner with places like the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo.”

From inland to the ocean

Parks said the artwork can be provocative not only for the way it uses waste, but for the way that some of that waste has been created.

Much of it from sources like fishing industry refuse, but some of it from tragedies like the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

“So as you look at those [artworks], it does bring both an honour of the folks who were lost in that natural disaster, but also a real key awareness that this is one ocean,” Parks said.

“This is a global problem. And this is something that we really need to collaborate and partner with other folks to really come to big solutions in in conjunction with our individual actions.”

Dr. Kyle Burks, CEO of the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo said that Washed Ashore would connect visitors to the zoo to the enormous scale of marine waste.

“Our vision is to create a future where people and wildlife thrive together. Washed Ashore is a perfect expression of that mission, using the power of art to connect us with nature, to spark conversation and move us towards meaningful change,” he said.

He said that Calgary would be the only Canadian location to show Washed Ashore in 2025.

The exhibit is included with the price of admission to the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, and will be on display from May 31 through Sept. 14.

Photos from Washed Ashore at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo