Floating mural part of Tacoma ocean festival this weekend. Here’s what else is on tap
Artist Sean Yoro had thousands of small spectators gathered around him Wednesday evening as he stood on a paddleboard in the Foss Waterway painting a mural.
The LA-based artist is known for paintings that emerge from the sea when tidal waters ebb. The painting he began Wednesday will become a floating mural for Sunday’s Ocean Fest, the annual science- and art-filled festival dedicated to the deep and all that lives in and from it.
Yoro, who also goes by Hula (he’s from Hawaii), could have painted it from a dock but the paddleboard is his style, and the school of fingerling fish surrounding him added to the ambiance as they occasionally leaped from the water.
The ocean environment inspires Yoro.
“Sometimes it’s directly translated into the artwork, and sometimes it’s more of a more nuanced state of mind during the whole creation process,” he said Wednesday night.
Ocean Fest
The mural, which Yoro will continue to work on daily through Sunday, will be on display on the water outside the Foss Waterway Seaport, the nexus of Ocean Fest. Its subject matter is a secret but was designed in collaboration with Puyallup Tribal elder Connie McCloud, according to festival founder Rosemary Ponnekanti.
“It really reflects our local Indigenous people here,” Ponnekanti said. “And our local indigenous species like salmon and orcas.”
Ocean Fest, now in its fifth year, started Friday with the main festival set for Sunday. With the exception of an associated film festival, events are free.
“It’s a festival of arts and sciences and water fun that helps us all come together to celebrate the ocean and learn about the things that are threatening it, like climate change and species extinction and pollution, and get inspired to protect it,” Ponnekanti said.
The festival can open eyes, she said.
“For a lot of people, (the ocean is) just a big, vast blue expanse that we maybe travel over or worst case throw stuff into,” Ponnekanti said. “So to discover what is underneath and the beauty and complexity of that ... so much of the ocean is yet to be discovered.”
Lantern Paddle
The festival was to kick off Friday at sunset when lights, lanterns and paddlecraft will float over the Foss Waterway as musicians perform. The event highlights endangered species.
Earlier in the evening, spectators can watch the launch of the Seventy48 paddle race at 7 p.m. The annual human-powered race ends at Port Townsend roughly 48 hours later.
▪ 7-10 p.m. Friday at Foss Waterway Seaport esplanade.
Beach Cleanup
The Ikkatsu Project, Harbor WildWatch and South Sound Surfrider have combined to organize a beach clean-up at Chambers Creek Regional Park in University Place.
▪ 9:30-noon, Saturday, Chambers Creek Regional Park beach.
Festival Day
Inside the seaport, large-scale photography by Alejandro Duran will be on display. They show installations he creates from beach trash from Mexico’s Sian Ka’an World Heritage Biosphere Reserve.
Local student artists have created a sculpture of recycled plastic for Duran’s exhibit. Ponnekanti said visitors can contribute clean white plastic trash to the sculpture on Sunday.
The day-long series of performances at the festival include musicians, dancers and an aerialist.
Ecology-themed booths will offer hands-on science activities and information.
▪ Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Foss Waterway Seaport, 705 Dock St., Tacoma. Festival info: tacomaoceanfest.org
Film Festival
The Tacoma Ocean Film Fest brings local and global ocean films to The Grand Cinema with subjects including orcas, the giant Pacific octopus and kelp forests. Live and virtual filmmaker Q&As follow each screening.
Tickets are $12 general admission and $10 for Grand members, seniors and students. Free for any Tacoma student. Info and tickets: tacomaoceanfest.org/film-fest.
▪ Film Festival, 7-9 p.m. June 15-17.
This story was originally published June 10, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
