When I give presentations and workshops about how collaborative art can create change in local government, I often tell stories about The Plastic Whale Project and how it influenced our community in its decision to ban single-use plastic bags.

The Plastic Whale Project was the first large-scale, multi-faceted, collaborative Art in Action project that I led. Much of the methodology for creating change with art that I use today has its origins in this project. At the time, though, I was simply following my curiosity and passion.

This all happened almost a decade ago. At the time, I worked for Thurston County Public Works as an Environmental Educator, teaching people about the thee R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

The project came about because my supervisor asked me if I wanted to create some programming for youth. It was up to me to propose a topic. During that time, our county was undergoing research and outreach to decide whether or not to ban single-use plastic bags. I was very much in support of banning the bags, so, naturally my artist brain went to work and I thought, “We should create a life-sized gray whale out of plastic bags and other trash as part of a workshop series intended to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags”.

You have to remember, this was almost a decade ago and collaborative art as action was much less prominent than it is today. The amazing thing was, even though my idea was so far out of the box as to be in another room, my supervisor gave me the green light to go ahead with the project! She didn’t give me a budget for materials, but that was ok, because my time was covered and we ended up using about 99% up-cycled materials, mostly plastic bags and other trash.

I learned so much while doing this project and I’ll share a few highlights here.

I learned that teachers were hungry for hands-on workshops that brought together art and science.

While some of the presentations we offered didn’t get very many requests, I had absolutely no problem finding teachers, after school programs, and non profits that were ecstatic to have their students and visitors be a part of this project.

I learned that the whale gave people a really inspiring and accessible way to talk to others about the importance of using less plastic.

We put the finishing touches on the whale in a public studio, called the Whale Annex in honor of our whale, in the days and hours leading up to the whale’s debut in the Procession of the Species Celebration. So many people stopped by and asked about the gigantic whale made out of plastic bags that, after a while, I had to stop answering their questions so I could finish the whale on time! We were in a community art studio and other artists and volunteers saw what was going on and stepped up to answer questions about the whale. They shared the story of how the whale was created by 900 youth and adults; how it was made of 10,000 up-cycled plastic bags; how the map showed the path plastic bags in our environment travel from here, through streams and rivers, into the Pacific Ocean, and finally to the great pacific garbage patch; how this whale was based on a gray whale that died and washed ashore in Seattle with plastic bags in its stomach; how there are better options for getting your groceries home. I was amazed to see these volunteers step up and share these stories with the public. And the people seeing the whale and hearing these stories, they got it! They understood the impacts of plastic bags in an entirely new way.

I learned that collaborative art has political power.

When our four local jurisdictions began discussing the idea of creating an ordinance on plastic bags, multiple council members invited me to bring the whale to their public meetings! I wasn’t able to do that however, as the whale was a bit tricky to move. ;) The ordinance, banning single-use plastic bags, passed in all four of our local jurisdictions, which was a huge success.

I learned that being a part of making the whale gave people ownership of the project and its outcomes.

The Plastic Whale Project influenced our local government to create positive change. More importantly, it resulted in young people feeling that they have the power to create change in government.

After the ordinance passed, I heard that student participants, particularly middle school students, felt personally responsible for the ban on plastic bags. It was right then and there that I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt the power of collaborative art. The Plastic Whale Project influenced our local government to create positive change. More importantly, it resulted in young people feeling that they have the power to create change in government. If that’s not success, I don’t know what is.

I learned that this type of project doesn’t easily fit into boxes.

During the project, I worked with public schools, informal youth programs, non-profits, and government agencies. In 2014, The Plastic Whale Project won an award from the Washington State Recycling Association. The project was so multi-faceted and inclusive that they made an entirely new category for the whale. We The Plastic Whale Project was the first recipient of The Societal Impact Award.

Since the Plastic Whale Project, I have completed dozens of large-scale collaborative Art in Action Projects. They don’t all win awards or change the government, though some do. They DO all change the people involved. They help us to process difficult emotions and experience what it is like to be part of creating something much bigger than any one of us can do on our own. Working with thousands of people on these projects, I have witnessed the power that collaborative art has to create change, both in us as individuals, and in our communities.

In this, I find new meaning in the famous quote by Margaret Mead. She said: “Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Today, I offer my own take on this famous quote: “Never underestimate the power of collaborative art to change us as individuals. It gives us the experience of creating something larger than any one of us can do on our own and the knowledge that we have the power to change the world.”

About the Plastic Whale Project:

Year completed: 2013

Dimensions: 10’x32’x8’

Medium: 10,000 up-cycled plastic bags, cups, forks, and bottles from school cafeterias, up-cycled poly-pipe, bamboo.

Commissioning Agency: Thurston County Public Works

Collaborators: Thurston County Solid Waste, Procession of the Species Celebration, Cascadia Research Collective, LOTT Clean Water Alliance, YMCA After Care, 900 students at 19 Thurston County Schools.

The Plastic Whale was a 32-foot long gray whale made of plastic bags and other plastic trash. It was created during the spring of 2013 by over 900 youth and adults in Thurston County as part of an education and outreach project about plastic bags. It incorporated marine biology with visual and performing art. The project engaged the public in learning about the impacts of plastics in our environment while participating in the creation of a life-sized whale. Each participant received a reusable bag and committed to use less single-use plastic.

The skin of the whale is made out of 10,000 plastic bags that were braided together by students at 15 different elementary schools. Students formed the 6,000 feet of plastic braids into a mat, similar to a rag rug, to make the skin.

The whale's skin shows a map of the Pacific Ocean and the Great Pacific Gyre -- known now as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Ocean currents pull trash from America and Asia into the center of the Pacific Ocean. Mammals, birds, and fish mistake the plastic for food. The map of the gyre is centered over the whale's stomach, symbolizing the plastic stuck in the stomachs of marine animals.

The skeleton of the gray whale was created by high school art students and is visible on the whale's right side. It was made out of disposable plastic forks and cups that are used in many school cafeterias, milk jugs, and Styrofoam.

The whale was in the Procession of the Species Celebration on April 27, 2013. It was then on display at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts in Olympia, WA before traveling throughout western Washington and as far as Missoula, MT. The latter as part of a reality TV show called Shipping Wars.

The Gray Whale

Gray whales have the longest migration of any whale and some visit the Puget Sound where they can be affected by plastic bags from Thurston County.

In April of 2010, a gray whale washed up on shore in West Seattle. Scientists found approximately 30 plastic bags and other plastic and non-plastic trash in its stomach. The specific cause of death is unknown. They concluded that although the plastic bags might not have killed the whale, the whale was malnourished, partly due to the trash in its stomach. The whale was feeding off the bottom of the Puget Sound near Seattle in a developed area. There are concerns that exposure to less visible pollution such as PCB's, pesticides, and heavy metals could also have contributed to its death. These have all been documented in high levels in the top layers of sediment in developed areas like Seattle.