Now up all summer long!
International sand sculptor Sue McGrew and her team have created a mammoth sand ocean scene on our Hub lawn!
Sea turtles, hammerhead sharks, eagle rays, fish, jellyfish – all the animals coming soon to our brand-new Pacific Seas Aquarium are here, sculpted in sand.
Learn from the pros
Sue’s an accomplished sand artist who has created enormous sculptures around the States, Europe and Asia.
Interactive sculpting demos: all day Sat.-Sun. through mid-August
Sand play: 10am-5pm daily
But how does Sue do it?
The sand sculpture at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is a big one, with around 100 tons of sand. But Sue’s process is always the same. She starts with a design concept, then stacks wooden forms (like produce crates) to support the sculpture.
After her team shovels and compacts specially-sourced sand onto the forms, they start sculpting. When they’re done (a big sculpture can take weeks) they preserve the sand with a special glue that holds up even in the rain.
And she’s local!
Sue grew up in Tacoma, and was inspired to sculpt sand at a Maritime Fest event with pro sculptor Bert Adams – who’s on her Zoo team! She started traveling the world, juggling college and her amazing art, and most recently joined the team on the Travel Channel’s reality TV show “Sand Masters.”
Welcome back, Sue!
Watch how Sue’s team compact the sand ready for sculpting.