We have borrowed this title from The Marine Mammal Center’s announcement of an exhibit which opens at the Center on June 25, 2011 and runs through October 15, 2011.  “Washed Ashore: Plastics, Sea Life, and Art” is the vision of artist and educator Angela Haseltine Pozzi, and is a community art project that has transformed ocean trash from the Pacific Ocean shores in Oregon, to 15 massive, colorful works of marine life art.  Its purpose is to remind us of how many tons of plastic pollution is trashing our oceans, and getting into the gills, and around the necks, of our mammal and fish friends who call the ocean, home.  And, to inspire us to lessen all the plastic we use in our daily life.

For many years, Kate’s Blossoms has been privileged to help The Marine Mammal Center with floral designs at their exhibits, programs, and annual auction, always striving to use all or mostly local and foraged floral products, containers which have been procured from 2nd hand stores and the cupboards of friends and colleagues. This weekend, Kate’s
Blossoms will provide floral designs at the exhibit’s opening events. All floral vases will be plastic containers leftover from products which Kate used in her home and studio over the course of just three weeks.  Always, plastics used in these two places are repurposed as much as possible, for the delivery of edible flowers, wedding corsages, and the like. If not reused, placed in the recycling bin for processing. This project’s “vases” have given us abrupt pause. We have been quieted and are feeling a bit of shame, for all this plastic.  We’ll take this, and continue to strive, to do better–Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Here’s to clean and clear oceans, for those who call these ponds, home!

We’ll be posting photos of our floral art in plastic in the weeks to come. For now, we share photos from previous Marine Mammal Center events. Our continued thanks to the talented Drew Altizer and his team of photographers at Drew Altizer Photography.  Drew, is also committed to helping the the Otariidae family, pinnipeds and fur seals, alike.