New Seaside Sculptures Installed Along Amelia Island Shores

Kaitlin Harris | Account Manager
Hayworth PR
561-948-0668 | [email protected]

 

Over the Memorial Day weekend, visitors to Amelia Island’s beaches were greeted by five new artful reminders of the island’s commitment to protecting the coastline. Five sculptures have been installed at four beach accesses to help raise awareness of Amelia Island’s “Leave No Trace” ordinance, an island-wide effort adopted last year to keep local beaches clean. Installed at Main Beach, Seaside Beach, Peters Point, and Burney Park, the sculptures are the original artwork of five notable artists commissioned for the project. Created using a mix of naturally occurring and manmade debris collected from Amelia’s shores, the unique seaside sculptures will be on display for one year.

“We were excited to get the sculptures installed ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer,” said Leigh Palmer, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). “Each artist took the time to reflect on the message of the project and it shows in their creative use of debris and discarded items from our beaches, giving us an attractive way to grab the attention of beachgoers who may not be familiar with local guidelines and might otherwise overlook posted signage.”

 

 

 

 

 

The sculpture installations were the culmination of a project that began last November, when the CVB put out the call for submissions for finished, large-scale outdoor sculptures with sustaining mediums. The review and selection process included a jury of members from the Island Art Association, as well as Arts and Culture Nassau, the governing committee for the City of Fernandina Beach, and Sculpture Walk Jacksonville’s Executive Director, Jennifer Hager. The five selected artists are Aisling Millar McDonald; Cat Chiu Phillips; Joni Younkins-Herzog; Alan Milligan; and Richard Herzog.

Amelia Island’s “Leave No Trace” ordinance supports the CVB’s ongoing international program to reduce environmental impact, making it illegal to leave unattended beach chairs, tents, water sport equipment, and other beach recreation items overnight on the public beach and allows for the prompt removal and disposal of such items. Passed in 2016, the ordinance was put in place to help protect the island’s beaches as a natural asset and critical part of Amelia Island’s appeal as a tourist destination.

“Preserving the beaches our residents and visitors cherish and that local wildlife depends on is of the utmost importance to us,” said Gil Langley, President and CEO of the Amelia Island CVB. “Amelia Island’s beaches are a natural treasure and the seaside sculpture project is just the latest of our many efforts to protect them.”

Amelia Island has earned a long list of awards and recognitions for the quality of the visitor experience and the island’s beautiful beaches and waterways. Earlier this year, Amelia Island was recognized by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) and National Geographic Traveler as the Platinum Winner in a special category of Leader in Sustainable Tourism for the destination’s Clean Beach initiative.

For more information about the Seaside Sculptures project, visit ameliaisland.com/sculptures. For more information about the “Leave No Trace Ordinance,” contact the Nassau County manager’s office at (904) 530-6010.