VIA Magazine

Angela Haseltine Pozzi of the Washed Ashore project poses with an art installation. | Don Frank

Angela Haseltine Pozzi, Lead Artist, Washed Ashore project at the Artula Institute for Arts and Environmental Education

One of the stops that worked its way onto my itinerary during the time I spent in Bandon, Ore., on assignment for VIA was an art installation made from, well, sea garbage.

It’s created by a volunteer collective through the Washed Ashore program, run by the local Artula Institute. Unpaid scavengers collect plastic from area beaches, then wash, sort, drill, cut and organize it in preparation for its transformation into large-scale sculptures. The giant seagull that waves at travelers as they pass on Hwy 101 greets us as we pull in. Inside, an enormous jellyfish easily holds four adults inside its tentacles.

Colorful art from collected plastic makes art in Bandon. | Don Frank

This project is the brainchild of Angela Pozzi, an energized artist who has spent thousands of hours leading the community in creating these huge sculptures.  The sea creatures and birds that are most effected by the roaming plastics in the oceans become larger than life in Pozzi’s dream.

Pozzi explains the Washed Ashore project carefully, understanding every facet of her presentation and trying to find the angle that best resonates with the listener. I take photos while we talk, trying not to influence the discussion too much as she shows me around her studio.

She rifles her hand through a bin of orange plastics that have been sorted and washed, but not yet assigned a spot on a sculpture. I imagine the miles this plastic traveled to arrive in the loving and concerned hands of Pozzi, who eagerly reforms their destiny.

When new guests arrive, Pozzi jumps into renewed life. She’s gone through her spiel thousands of times, but still speaks with expediency and passion about her project. Explaining where the plastics come from and how they wind up on the beach in her hometown, she seems determined to connect with as many people as she can, one person at a time.

The visitors are rapt. I imagine how their consumption and lifestyles have contributed to plastics landing on the beach in the first place. I move in closer, trying to capture Pozzi’s expressive seriousness as she coaxes the out-of-towners into a dialogue about her grand project.

She answers their questions: “Yes, plastic is now in the food chain.” “No, this is not necessarily litter, but is washing up from far away shores.” “Yes, we welcome donations and sponsorships.”

When it’s time for the guests to exit, they leave a small donation. Pozzi seems content if others leave with a sense of responsibility in how each of us can make the planet a better place to live, for all its creatures.

She smiles and gets back to work. Every little bit helps, especially when the task appears overwhelming.