Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea

Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea is on view at the San Diego Natural History Museum through February 28, 2027. It's a large-scale exhibition that turns ocean plastic debris into sculptures of marine life, and it's taking up a 3,000-square-foot gallery on the museum's second floor.

There are more than 25 creatures on display, and they're built entirely from plastic waste collected during beach clean-ups by hundreds of volunteers. You'll see an 18-foot whale rib cage, a mako shark named Finn, and Dexter the Dungeness crab, all made from the kind of things that wash up on the shore: plastic bottles, flip-flops, sand toys, lighters, nylon rope, and toothbrushes. The sculptures are paired with educational workshops that bring together art, science, and environmental issues, and they've been touring the country for more than 15 years.

Seeing them in person puts the scale of the problem in perspective. The work points to the estimated 75 to 199 million tons of plastic choking the oceans, and the museum's installation leans into that feeling, immersing you in rippling blue lights and ocean sounds. The show opened to mark the 20th anniversary of the museum's volunteer Whaler program.

Behind the art is Washed Ashore, a non-profit based in North Bend, Oregon, that specializes in turning ocean debris into these kinds of sculptures. Admission to the museum is $14 to $24, and the exhibition runs through February 28, 2027, at the San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado.