Artist Kim Bernard visited Plymouth March 31 – April 4, 2025. Her sculptures are recycled, kinetic, interactive, involve the community, and often in public spaces. For the past several years, she has been making sculptural installations using various recycled materials: ocean debris, bicycle inner tubes, bowling balls, reusable nylon bags and plastic for example.
Bernard led workshops with nearly 150 Plymouth State students, staff, and faculty as well as 40 Plymouth Elementary School students and staff as part of a DIY recycling project that turned our trash into art. Participants collected, cleaned, shredded and extruded #2 plastic into this public collaborative sculptural installation.
As Plymouth sits at the confluence of two rivers and at the edge of New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, our planning group was drawn to aquatic themes surrounding this natural watershed. We explored the concept of water existing as a habitat and the many issues involving plastic pollution that impact quality of life and surrounding environment. With community collaboration, the installation evolved into a branching stream with one branch protected and running clear, while the other has become clogged with trash.
How can you help keep our waterways pristine, healthy habitats?
