Marine life artist Wyland brought his 100th and final "Whaling Wall" mural to Washington, D.C., this week. It formed part of the festivities to celebrate the opening of the new ocean hall at the National Museum of Natural History.
Wyland created the "Hands Across the Oceans" mural on 54 giant canvasses in Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Cultural Festival and the Green Olympics.
Images above and below of Wyland making earlier monumental Whaling Walls courtesy of the Wyland Foundation
The mural depicts scenes from oceans, lakes, rivers and wetlands from all 205 Olympic countries. Local Chinese artists and more than 3,000 children contributed to the paintings over 14 days in a Beijing park.
Wyland has devoted more than a quarter of a century to raise awareness about marine life conservation and global water issues through his Whaling Walls. Most of them were painted on the sides of buildings in more than 70 cities around the world. It is estimated that at least a billion people have seen them.
Through his charity, the Wyland Foundation, the artist promotes the protection and preservation of oceans, waterways, and aquatic life. The foundation encourages environmental awareness through education programs, life-size public arts projects, and community events.
Wyland visited the National Geographic campus in Washington, D.C. yesterday then gave us his personal tour of the "Hands Across the Oceans" mural.
Watch him on this video:
Video by Scott Lunt/NGS
