Washed Ashore
The staff at Keep Virginia Beautiful took a field trip recently to host a meeting with their state affiliate network — in person, for the first time in over a year. We met at the Norfolk Botanical Garden, where we could mingle safely outdoors and tour their amazing exhibit Washed Ashore. I hope wherever you live in our beautiful state that you’ve been to the Norfolk Botanical Garden, but you need to plan a visit soon to see Washed Ashore! Plastic debris collected by volunteers during beach cleanups was used to create sea creatures and shore birds that are designed to inspire change. And it’s just one of the many positive things the Garden is doing!
The mission of the Norfolk Botanical Garden is to immerse visitors in a world of beauty, lead through environmental action, inspire through education, and connection to nature. And they deliver! They have 175 beautiful acres to discover, 7 miles of paved paths and another 7 miles of unpaved paths to explore. They inspire through education with their beehives, native plants, kitchen garden, and wildflower area. Their connection to nature is abundant at every turn. But it’s their desire to lead through environmental action that caught our group’s attention.
For starters, they ask that you please bring a reusable container for use at their many cold, filtered-water refill stations located throughout the Garden. Secondly, they do not sell bottled water in the Gift Shop or the Cafe. And they do not allow caterers for events at the Garden to bring single-use plastic utensils. They are serious about tackling the plastic problem!
Their Washed Ashore exhibit continues the conversation with 15 large-scale sculptures. It’s bittersweet to examine them. On one hand, it’s fantastic what the artists created with plastic bottles, snorkels, flip-flops; with washed up shoes, golf balls, and nets. You can play “I Spy,” searching for a cell phone, eyeglasses, and other peculiarities embedded in the sculptures. But on the other hand, it’s sad to think that all the material used for the artwork was collected from beaches in Hampton Roads and elsewhere. It is, however, a beautiful way for the Gardens to bring awareness to the problem. Visitors of all ages looked up at sharks and puffins and the enormous bald eagle with wonder.
It was certainly a treat to be at the Norfolk Botanical Garden, and have an in-person meeting. The impact of the Washed Ashore sculptures made us marvel at the art, as well as its message. We applaud the Garden’s commitment to make the statement, as well as initiate policies to off-set the problem. We encourage you to visit this beautiful spot in our Commonwealth to see it for yourself!
Washed Ashore, “Art to Save the Sea,” will be on display until October 31, 2021.