GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — "Our beach is probably one of our biggest tourist attractions," says Brittany Good.
But that attraction has taken a beating over time.
"A lot of cigarette butts, a lot of single-use plastics, a lot of styrofoam and just pieces of garbage," says Good.
After a recent beach clean-up in Grand Haven, organizers wanted to raise awareness of the trash problem on the beach in a creative way -- by getting local artists involved. Businesses at the Grand Armory helped out and divided up the junk into several boxes.
"It is an overwhelming thing to open up a box and see a bunch of sand and garbage and literally it's just a bunch of plastic and dirty things," says Barbara Carlson.
But artists like Jan McLaughlin didn't find the idea overwhelming at all.
"It's not your usual media, trash but it is a challenge to look at it and see something other than what it is," says McLaughlin.
Artist Colleen Rocky turned a flip flop, wires and plastic into a ballerina.
"When I faced the box of junk I was like 'man what am I gonna do with this?' But it worked out," says Rocky.
One piece was made entirely of wood scraps and pieces of plastic. Another features rope, cloth and beer bottle caps. A comb, water bottle caps and caution tape created another display.
You can see all the beach art right now at the Grand Armory in Grand Haven. Organizers say the project was such a success that they plan on bringing it back for next year.
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