Students turn marine debris into art at Florida Aquarium

Today’s children are going to be tomorrow’s stewards of the oceans, which is why environmentalists are going to great efforts these days to get ‘em while they’re young.

That was one of the tentpole missives of NFL Green Week’s Dive 55, a massive cleanup effort in January, which this week has produced a new exhibition of student art on view at The Florida Aquarium.

A Lasting Legacy in Tampa Bay: Conservation Inspiration through Art includes 24 pieces of art from students, from 14 Tampa Bay schools. The art was created from marine debris and plastic pollution collected offshore and along Anna Maria Island.

The total haul was more than one ton of debris; 40 bags of the stuff, cleaned and sanitized, were distributed to K-12 students attending Hillsborough County Public Schools.

Retired Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Martin Gramatica, who participated in the Dive 55 event, viewed the exhibit at The Florida Aquarium. “Before I dove,” he said, “you always assumed that everything was great. You see beautiful blue water, and there’s not a problem. But there’s so many issues that could happen if we don’t take care of our beaches. If we don’t take care of our water.”

“When we look at these pieces, they are very overwhelming,” said Erin Saladino, Supervisor, Visual & Theatre Arts Education, Hillsborough County Public Schools.

“Because we look at the amount of debris that was used as material. The first thing we look at is the beauty; when we look a little closer, we realize how overwhelming it is that so much debris is out there.

“But (we’re) also really proud that our students learned a very important lesson about conservation – and also a lesson about using their art for communication.”

Debbi Stone, Senior Vice President of Learning at The Florida Aquarium, said that this kind of art – a student-driven conservation message – can have a “pass it down” effect on young people visiting the downtown Tampa attraction.

“Every piece that came in, we just got more and more excited,” she said. “And at the end of the day, when we stepped back and looked at all the art we said ‘Wow, these kids are really creative.’

“We hope that the art can help people think about our impact on the environment – and the types of plastics that you’ll find in the environment.”

A Lasting Legacy in Tampa Bay: Conservation Inspiration through Art will be on display through International Coastal Cleanup Day Sept. 18, and can be viewed as part of general admission to the Aquarium.