Made almost entirely of trash, the surprisingly beautiful sculpture pictured above is about to have 14 new friends. The fish, dubbed Rufus, was installed at the Denver Zoo in June and has served as a preview for the exhibit “Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea,” which will be completed with 14 additional works and open to the public this weekend. An Oregon-based nonprofit, The Washed Ashore Project created this traveling exhibit to promote awareness about marine debris and plastic pollution. The full exhibit will include new sculptures of animals directly affected by oceanic pollution, such as sea turtles and penguins, with special events and an opportunity to meet the artist. Denver will be the first non-coastal location to host Washed Ashore, highlighting the importance of care and awareness to all water sources, because we all play a part in our precious hydro-system. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 80 percent of ocean pollution originates from land activity—flowing downstream from rivers and into our oceans.

See it: The Washed Ashore exhibit, free with regular admission, runs from September 24 to January 16 with installations throughout the Denver Zoo. Check out special events and opening details on the Denver Zoo website.

See this sculpture of Rufus—made entirely of trash—plus 14 more, at the Denver Zoo from September 24 to January 16
Senior director of guest engagement Brad Parks explains how these aesthetically beautiful sculptures are made from trash washed ashore from our oceans